Nraseri and the Viking
by RuinedFox
Summary: The Nraseri Clan has always been elusive. When tragedy strikes, Toothless, a young Night Fury is given an amulet that has the power to turn him human. Now he must become the guardian of a small Viking boy with a big destiny: to unite the world of Vikings and dragons. But a great evil looms. Can Toothless keep his secret and unite the two worlds before it is too late? Not a SLASH
1. Prologue

_The morning sun shone hesitantly_ _on_ the foreign land, dispelling the uppermost layer of fog that had settled. The Isle of Grimdel was located on the very edge of the Barbaric Archipelago, a many week's trip away from the closest center islands. It was a small and dreary island but was home to two of the strongest and most terrifying clans around.

The small village of the Grimsavage tribe sat menacingly on the eastern side of the island, overshadowed by the high and spindly trees that inhabited the chunk of rock. For that is what it was, a grey, dreary, and nasty rock. With fog that seldom lifted, and grey slate cliffs, the Isle of Grimdel was not the sort of place anyone would want to live.

The Vikings that were awake in the early hours of the morning glanced at the skies grimly and tightened their grips on their ever-present weapons. Some peered out doors and carted dark, bent armour to and from the old, half-burnt forge at the center of the village. But what was most unsettling about this Viking village was not the dark, suffocating atmosphere, or its unsmiling inhabitants, but the figurehead that marked the entrance to the village itself.

For in front of the gate, glaring hollowly out into the fog-choked trees was a large dragon skull as wide as a man's forearm and as high as four large hands. It sat on a thick bloodstained stake two meters from the ground, a strange black dragon-scale shroud trailing behind it. The skull's once-seeing eyes bore into the fog as a warning to those who may enter and as a plea to others to turn back before this too becomes their fate.

The western side of the island was a little more open and welcoming, with large fields and a long series of caves that riddled the cliff walls. The fog here was not as dense, almost completely disappearing with the rise of the sun. It was here that the second fearsome clan dwelled. Known for their ability to disappear into the night and cause havoc within the centermost islands for centuries, this clan retreated quietly back to the islands in which they came from. But unlike the other inhabitants of the island, this was not a clan not Vikings. No, this was a clan of dragons so feared by humans that many claimed that they were the offspring of Lightning and Death. To the Grimsavage Vikings, this terrible foe was known as the Nraseri Clan. To the rest of the Archipelago, they were known as Night Furies!


	2. Chapter 1

**Hello fellow readers,**

 **This is my first time uploading my work on Fanfiction. I hope you enjoyed the prologue and will continue to read the story.**

 **Sadly, as I am neither Dreamworks or Cressida Cowell, I do not own How To Train You Dragon.**

 **Without further adieu, let us continue.**

 **CHAPTER 1**

 _T_ _he small, lithe dragon slunk through_ the trees, carefully placing her black paws softly so as not to startle her prey. Her dark green eyes narrow as she neared its target, her heart beating in anticipation. She peered through the brush and, with a roar, she pounced, landing on her target who let out a startled squeal.

The little black dragon grinned in triumph as her brother struggled to get away. "You're it, Toothless!"

"That's not fair, Nira. I wasn't ready!" Toothless argued, swatting at his sister, who happily trotted out of the way. "And I was 'it' last time!"

Nira shook herself and unfurled her wings. "Well I'm the oldest so what I say goes." She shot into the air, laughing.

"By ten minutes!" Toothless exclaimed as he followed her into the grey sky. They raced through the air together, tumbling through the clouds, laughing. Toothless grinned as he caught up, narrowly missing his sister as she dived under him. They laughed in exhilaration, dipping and gliding on the wind currents when suddenly, a wall of fog rose up before them.

The two dragons billowed their wings in fright as they came to the Fog Border, the only thing between the two hostile tribes. They hovered meters away, hearts pounding. To go across the border meant almost certain death and they had almost passed it without knowing.

"Th-that was close," Toothless breathed. A cold shiver going down his spine. "We almost died!"

Nira nodded, solemnly before turning back the way they came. "Let's get back, Toothless. The hunting party's probably returned and Uncle will be worried if we're late."

They flew in silence, their spirits dampened by the Fog Border. Many of their clan had gone passed it and never returned and those who had died from injuries not long after. The Viking tribe on the other side killed at every chance they got.

They were almost home when a large black shape rose from the clouds. A large Night Fury hovered in front of them, a stern expression etched on his scarred face. He glanced them over and his expression changed to that of relief. "Where have you been? The hunting party arrived ages ago."

"We were racing, Uncle," Toothless said and Nira nodded. "We lost track of time. Sorry."

"Well," their uncle huffed. "Come and eat before the others eat it all." With that, the three of them glided down to where the rest of the clan rested.

The clan was small, barely two dozen Night Furies dotted the clearing. The Fog Border had taken its toll over the last decade, cutting their already small numbers in half. They were the last clan in the Barbaric Archipelago, the others had moved on, and food was scarce enough without having to share it.

Some looked up in greeting as they landed near the small pile of fish and dug in hungrily. After finishing his last fish, Toothless set about cleaning his face with a scaled paw. Nira gave him a mischievous look and flicked a fish tail at him.

"Catch."

Toothless battered it away and she nipped at him playfully.

Toothless bared his white teeth in good sport. He was proud of his teeth. They had come a little over a year ago, two years after his sibling, hence his name, and in his opinion, they were whiter and shinier than any of them. The other dragons didn't think so, but none of them said anything. Chasing his sister, and laughing, the six-year-old dragon felt content.

 _T_ _oothless stood in a small clearing_ , blearily blinking the remnants of sleep out of his eyes. The clearing was unfamiliar, as it always was and he glanced around, taking the small space in. He was surrounded by trees, not the spindly trees of his home, but the lush kind that grew further in the Archipelago. The grass beneath his paws was soft and he shifted from foot to foot, feeling the moisture of the damp earth. His father had always taught him to take in the small details that may help you later. From his surroundings, Toothless deduced that he was far from home.

A slight noise arose from behind him and the little Night Fury spun around. Behind him was a peculiar sight: a small boy stood, watching him from behind one of the trees, his emerald eyes sparkling with happiness. Toothless tilted his head slightly as the small boy came closer. He had never seen a human hatchling up close, for this is what the boy seemed to be. He was hardly the size for a Viking, his skinny figure nothing like the Vikings Toothless had seen. His dark red hair stuck up in all directions as if he'd just awoken from a nap and he giggled as he dashed towards the startled dragon. But as he neared, his small boot caught on a stone and he careened towards the ground with a startled gasp. Toothless closed the distance between them with a haphazard leap and caught the boy with his scaly head before he hit the ground.

The little boy opened his eyes, probably wondering why the ground felt so scaly, grinned and giggled in delight when he saw that Toothless had come to his rescue. The little dragon huffed and nudged the boy to his feet, an odd feeling of compassion for the boy washing over him. The boy squealed happily as he tried to catch the Night Fury's flicking tail. Toothless sat in the grass watching the red headed boy dance happily around the grass speaking him his strange language.

All of a sudden, the sky went dark and the boy stopped, looking fearfully towards the forest. Toothless made to call him over, but as he opened his mouth, a green vine shot out of the forest, curling itself around the little boy's arm. The boy yelled in fright and tried to run to the dragon, but more vines shot out, restricting his movement. The boy let out a flurry of words in his strange language as the vines began to drag him towards the dark and foreboding forest.  
Toothless roared and tried to help him but he was rooted to the spot and no matter how hard he thrashed his small body, he could not get free.

The little boy cried out and Toothless watched helplessly as he was dragged into the forest and, as his eyes met his, the boy opened his mouth and screamed one last word,  
"TOOTHLESS!"

Toothless jolted awoke, his heart in his throat. He leapt to his feet and found that he was still in his cave. Nira still snored loudly next to him and he carefully shuffled past, not wanting to wake her. He padded out of the cave and towards the entrance where he knew his uncle would be sitting. His uncle looked up as he saw him.

"Couldn't sleep again, Toothless?" Toothless shook his head and sat next to him, looking at the faint moon hidden behind the fog. "This is the fourth night. Is something wrong?"

Toothless shrugged. How could he explain what he had dreamed? He felt his uncle curl his finned tail around him comfortingly. He looked up at his face. It was so like his father's, who had disappeared across the Fog Border two years ago, leaving his brother to lead the clan in his place. He thought back to the boy in his dream, unafraid of what he was. What could it mean?

"Uncle," he hesitated. "Have humans and dragons ever got along?"

His uncle blinked at the strange question and Toothless worried that he had said something wrong. But after a minute, his uncle spoke. "There are stories of a great warrior who befriended a dragon many centuries ago. They said that he would unite both worlds and live in peace."

"What happened in the end?"

His uncle shook his head. "Some say that the dragons of old refused to become slaves to the humans and started an uprising, others say he and his dragon left the Archipelago. But others believe that he never left, that he settled down and started a family. But they're only stories, so there's no way to know for sure." He regarded the fog ponderingly. "When I was your age, I fanaticized that we could make peace with these Vikings, even after we left the center. But now I'm not so sure. I've lived here for so long with no change." He looked down at his nephew. "But something in my bones tells me that there will be change. Maybe in your lifetime."

They sat silently, Toothless thinking about his uncle's words. Change? Was it possible?

He stared up at the black sky, before standing and shaking out his wings before tucking them back against his sides. "I'm going to go for a walk, I think I have too much energy."

His uncle nodded, his pale yellow eyes glinting in the dark. "Don't go too far."

Toothless padded through the spindly trees, thinking. His head whipped around at a noise and he peered fearfully into the darkness. Nothing. He shook his head furiously. That dream had shaken him more than he had thought. He thought back. Who was that boy? He'd never seen him before and wondered why he felt a connection.

After a while, Toothless grew weary and made his way back, slowly picking his way through the trees. But as he reached the treeline, he instantly knew something was wrong. He took a deep breath and his heart lurched as he smelt human, a scent that he had grown to fear. He looked towards his uncle, who lay at the cave entrance, asleep.

He's okay, Toothless thought, relieved. But that relief was torn away as the moon peeked out from behind the fog and Toothless got a closer look. Green blood pooled around him, glowing turquoise in the silver light.

All at once, there was a heart-wrenching roar from the cave, followed by cries of pain. Toothless tried to move as armour clad figures ran out of the cave, sticks of fire in their hands and shouting in their language. Fires began to spread, engulfing the clearing and wails emanated from the cave. Toothless heard a familiar scream echo from inside, and a small figure dashed out.

 _Nira!_

She looked around frantically, catching sight of him. "RUN, TOOTHLESS! GET AWAY BEFORE THEY CATCH YOU!" She spun around and rammed into two of the Vikings, who brandished their swords.

Toothless ran. Away from the fire, away from the clan, away from the death. Away from his sister's last piercing roar. He ran for what seemed like hours until, finally, his legs gave out on him and he tumbled down a hill, crashing into the undergrowth. He lay there, tangled in the vines, whimpering in fear and shock. Eventually, he drifted into a fitful sleep.

It was morning when Toothless heard a sound, snapping him out of his nightmares. He cracked open his eyelids to peer about and his heart lurched. In front of him stood a human! He scrambled back in fright, but his wings were so tangled in the undergrowth that he only managed a few feet before he couldn't move. The human watched him sadly and reached out and put a hand on his head. Immediately, calmness washed over Toothless and he stopped struggling. The human drew back his hand and untangled him and, for the first time, Toothless got a good look at him.

He was old, unlike the other Vikings he had seen the night before. He wore a long fur cloak and had a basket over his shoulder. His face was kind under the long white beard and his eyes shone with wisdom and gentleness. Slowly, the old human lowered the basket and opened it. Toothless' mouth watered at the smell of fish. He brought out a large fish and placed it on the ground in front of the little dragon.

Toothless' stomach grumbled loudly and, without taking his eyes off the human, he gulped it up hungrily, smacking his lips. He sniffed the ground sadly and the old human chuckled and gave him another fish. While he ate, the wizened human sat on a log, watching him. He spoke lowly in his human tongue and pulled out a small bundle. Putting it on the log, he pulled out a small box. Toothless, now finished his meal, watched him curiously, his head cocked to one side. He shuffled closer to the human and sniffed the bundle which smelt like furs. He gave the old human a strange look and the human smiled at him.

 _Odd human,_ Toothless decided. And turned his attention to the box in his hands. The human caught his eye and opened it, speaking again in his strange way. Inside was a strange object, something of which Toothless had never seen in his six years. It was a stone on a long cord, and it smelt very strange to Toothless. He snorted.

The old human lifted the stone out of the box and drew it nearer to the little dragon. Toothless shied away from him and he froze on the spot, the stone hanging in the air. Slowly, Toothless came closer, unable to contain curiosity. He trusted this human, though he didn't know why. He felt oddly calm as the human looped the cord over his head and let go.

Suddenly, the stone grew hot and heat washed through Toothless, and he let out an alarmed screech. He felt as if his bones were shrinking and his scales melting and everything around him felt and sounded weird. He jumped as something soft brushed the scales on his back and wings. Except that didn't have wings anymore, or scales for that matter.

The old human had draped the furs over the little dragon and stepped back. For in front of him now was not a dragon, but a young boy with pitch black hair and large round eyes. The boy blinked and looked down at what used to be paws, flexing his fingers with an unreadable expression. The old man smiled. "Now, young Nraseri, can you tell me your name?"

The boy's green eyes widened in astonishment at the realization that he could understand him and he thought for a minute, forming the words on his tongue. "T…Toothless."

"It is nice to meet you, young Toothless. I am an old Sage and I have been waiting for you for many years. I need you to listen carefully," the old man said. Toothless looked up from examining his hands. "That amulet I have given you lets you shift between human and dragon. It is yours and in time you will learn to master it. You are the last of your kind, I am afraid, but in time, you will find a new family," Toothless looked sad as he remembered what he had just lost, but he listened carefully. The man leaned close and put a hand on his shoulder.

"The stars have told me that you are very important, young Nraseri, that you will be a protector to the one who will unite our worlds. Listen very closely to my next words, all right?" The boy nodded and he continued. "One year after you discover what you are looking for, you will find it only to watch from a distance and on the year of reckoning, you will, at last, be reunited. But be warned, young dragon, a great evil looms. Protect the amulet or it will take the one thing you love most."

Toothless, confused by the events of the past few minutes, nodded. This was important, he knew. His own uncle had said that he felt change was coming. Maybe this was it. But thinking about his uncle made him remember the tragedy that had taken place not hours ago. He pushed the image of his uncle's body out of his mind and suddenly, he felt unbearably weary.

The Sage noticed this and helped him stand. "Come, young Nraseri, my boat is not far from here. You shall have a new home and I shall teach you what you need to know about the amulet and the Viking world." Taking the boy's free hand (the other was holding the neck of the fur tightly around him), he led him down to the beach and into a new world.


	3. Chapter 2

**Long time no see!**

 **I'm so sorry it took this long to post this chapter! It's been sitting in my files for ages but, between my internet refusing to work and school, I haven't been able to post.**

 **The next chapter is finished and I just need to edit it again. I'm not sure when I'll post it, however, because of those dreaded beasts known as final exams (shudder). I'm also going overseas for the month of July and the beginning of August, but hopefully I'll have finished the chapter and posted it by then.**

 **Thank you so much for the awesome reviews! I love feedback!**

 **On with the story!**

 **CHAPTER 2**

 **SEVEN YEARS LATER**

 _T_ _oothless closed his eyes and breathed_ in the strong scents of Merchant Point, grinning as the ship docked in the small harbour. A soft breeze ruffled his dark hair and he opened his eyes. It had been a year since he'd left the company of the old Sage. Seven years since he'd been given the amulet. It rested against his chest, the jade amulet comforting, like home. Toothless' grin faltered when he thought of the lonely isles of Grimdel, where his clan's bones now rested. The memories had faded over the years, but the ache in his chest his chest was still fresh. He was the last of his kind, the last Night Fury.

"Hey, Nraseri!" a voice called from the deck and Toothless turned to the sound of his human name. The ancient title of his clan had been all but forgotten in the inner archipelago so he'd kept the name as a way to honour his family.

On the deck stood a small girl, her hands on her hips and a mischievous glint in her eye. Her blonde hair stood up in all directions, as if it had never seen a comb. "You gonna help us unload, or are you gonna stand there?"

Toothless let go of the rail and stepped down onto the deck of the ship. "I'm coming, Camicazi." Camicazi grinned and grabbed one of the sack, hauling it over her thin shoulder, and leapt off the ship, landing softly on the dock. Toothless lifted one of the crates of barley and furs, the Bog-Burglars were known for their high quality furs, and carefully made his way down the walkway and set it next to the rest. Within a few trips, he, Camicazi, and a few other Bog-Burglars had unloaded the ship and were waiting patiently for the Chief, who was just returning from paying the docking fee.

"I say," grumbled Bertha, Chief of the Bog-Burglars, "They raise the fee more and more every season." She straightened and smiled widely. "Alright, we have a good two days' worth of trading to do, so let's get to it. But before we do, it is time to say goodbye to our guest." She held out a large hand to Toothless. "It has been a pleasure having you over the past months, Nraseri. Without your fine work in the forges, we would have never had such a great load today." Toothless grinned and shook her hand.

"It is you I have to thank for putting up with me in your training grounds and the forge, my Lady."

Bertha chuckled heartily at the title and patted the young boy on the shoulder. "We'll be sad to see you go, in any case." She gestured for her daughter, and Camicazi came over with a small bundle. "This is for you. Sort of like a going away gift. I know you don't carry much with you on your travels, but it is the least we can do."

Toothless took the bundle carefully from his friend's hand and unwrapped it. It was a small dark red journal with a silver clasp. Its cover was embossed to resemble dragon scales and Toothless stared at it in awe. Bertha was bursting with pride. "Wrangled it from pirates on one of our trips last year. I thought you could get some use out of it. We Bog-Burglars aren't one for books."

"I…" Toothless stuttered, at a loss for words. "I don't know what to say. Thank you!"

The Chief smiled again. "Come visit again, Nraseri. Our Halls are always open." With that, she and her Vikings began hauling their goods to their stall. Camicazi stayed behind.

"Be careful, Dragon Boy," she warned quietly. Camicazi was the only other person that knew of Toothless' secret and that was only because she had followed him into the woods. Being her, she had been more fascinated than afraid and had promised to keep his secret in exchange for a ride. Toothless was more than happy to comply and they had grown close. But now it was time for him to move on.

"I'll miss you, Camicazi. You're really the only friend I have."

She shuffled from one foot to the other. "Yeah, well, you come visit. Don't get caught on your travels, I won be there to save your hide again."

Toothless cracked a grin and shouldered his satchel. "Enjoy the trade, Camicazi. May your sword stay sharp,"

"And your wings swift." She finished. "Until we meet again."

Any other person would have hugged their friend, but that was not the way of the dragon. He simply bowed his head and carried on his way down the docks and into the bustling crowds.

Toothless smiled to himself as he walked, weaving in between people and stands. The air thrummed with noise but he was used to it. Every year the Sage would bring him to the trading ports to learn and, over the years, his fine-tuned ears had learnt to filter out unnecessary noise. He was now thirteen and highly skilled in the art of trading and bantering.

Within a few hours, Toothless had traded most of his daggers and trinkets and had most of the supplies he needed. Tired, he headed in the direction of the forest to rest and stretch and grab a bite to eat. He yawned and massaged his shoulders as the tree line came into view. He stopped behind one of the booths when he saw a group of children heading into the forest in front of him. An uneasy feeling weighed in the back of Toothless' mind as his keen eyes followed them and he detected a faint smell of fear from one of them.

"They're going the same way I am," Toothless said to himself. "I might as well see what's going on."

He waited until the boys had disappeared before quietly padding after them. Being a dragon had its perks: he could move unnoticed and tracked them easily once in the forest. The group had stopped in a small dell that was littered with boulders and four of them stood facing a small boy. The child was no more than ten and only came up to their chins, but he lifted his chin in defiance as the others scowled at him.

The tallest boy stepped forward. He was an ugly boy, Toothless decided, with a face that resembled that of a cod. Toothless did not like him. "You didn't uphold your bargain, shrimp," he sneered. "I told you what would happen if you didn't."

The boy raised his chin a little higher and tried to sound brave. "I will not steal from my own tribe. We need the money for food in winter. It's not right to steal."

Toothless did a double take as he faintly recognized the voice. He looked closely at the small, skinny boy and tried to remember where he had seen him. The boy had scruffy auburn hair and stood tall, even though the boys towered over him. Toothless couldn't see his face from where he was hiding, but there was an aura of shaky boldness around him and Toothless wracked his brain, trying to think.

The leader of the group balled his fist and raised it threateningly. He smirked as the boy flinched. "I gave you a chance to redeem yourself for knocking me over earlier and I expect payment."

"I told you it was an accident!" the boy exclaimed, almost angrily. "I can't steal from the Chief. I'd be disowned by the tribe and cast out!" His voice shook at the prospect and Toothless felt a wave of sympathy and compassion for the boy. He narrowed his eyes at the other boy, whose unfortunately ugly face was turning a dark shade of purple. In a second, the leader drew back his fist and punched the boy right in the stomach. The boy fell back from the force and landed on his back, knocking whatever wind he still had out. The group sniggered as their leader kicked sand in the boy's face, causing him to cry out in pain as it got in his eyes. He rolled over and blinked, trying to clear his vision, to no avail.

And it was then that Toothless saw his eyes. Emerald green slits that made the hair on the back of Toothless' neck tingle. His mind flashed back to the last night with his family, to the dream that had haunted him ever since. Here, not a meter from him was the boy from the clearing.

And Toothless saw red.

He leapt out of the brush, unintentionally shifting, and snarled at the boys, who screamed in fright at the sight of a large black dragon. Toothless growled menacingly at them and arched his wings threateningly, a warning them to stay away. They didn't need a warning.

With a guttural shriek, all four of them scrambled away, tripping over each other, and fled back to the traders, going the complete opposite way in their haste.

Toothless glared after them, before he heard a shuffling sound and a whimper from the small boy behind him. He felt a twinge of guilt.

 _He must be scared out of his mind,_ he thought. He twisted around to inspect the boy, who scrambled back blindly, still unable to see more than blotchy shapes.

To the boy, Toothless looked like a dark splodge with wings, but even half-blind, the terrified boy knew what was in front of him. As the dragon shuffled closer, he could feel its breath on his legs and he blinked rapidly, trying to clear his eyes. Slowly, he made out a great pair of green eyes staring at him, probably wondering if he was worth the meal. He stayed as still as possible, praying to Thor that it would leave. His heart pounded in his small chest as the dragon sniffed him and he watched it through very hazy eyes. After what seemed like an eternity, the dragon snorted and shuffled back into the brush. The boy heaved a sigh of relief and lay on the ground, too shocked and shaky to move. He lay still, trying to clear his eyes.

Toothless trudged silently into the forest, his mind reeling from his latest discovery. The boy was real. He looked older, but it was certainly the same boy. He stopped a good distance away from the clearing, where the boy lay. He couldn't leave him.

Toothless closed his eyes and concentrated on his human form, feeling the warmth of the amulet flow through him. He opened his eyes and looked down at his human form. Smiling at how easy the transformation had become, he flicked up his grey hood. He headed back to the clearing and saw that the boy had not moved from his spot on the ground. Skirting silently around the clearing, he angled himself so it would look as if he had come from the trading port.

With a curse of feigned exclamation, Toothless rushed to the boy's side. "Hey, are you okay?" He lightly put a hand on his shoulder. The boy shirked from his touch, before looking blearily up at him.

"Hey," he said urgently, lightly putting a hand on his arm. "We have to go, kid. Can you walk?" The boy nodded and shakily got to his feet.

"I, uh, I can't really see. Some dirt got in my eyes," the boy replied, trying to keep the tremble out of his voice, and failing miserably. He looked up at Toothless blindly. "There's a dragon."

"I know, I heard it, that's why we should leave. Come on, kid," Toothless encouraged, helping the boy with feigned impatience. With an effort, he led the skinny, half-blind boy to the edge of the forest.

"Alright, I think we're safe here." Toothless stopped and the boy sunk to his knees, gasping for breath. He rubbed his eyes and shook his head. Toothless watched him for a second before unslinging his small water flask and uncorking the stopper. "Here," he said, kneeling down next to him. "Cup your hands."

The boy did and he poured a small amount of water into his cupped hands, enough for him to get the rest of the grit out of his eyes. The boy blinked, relieved to be able to see clearly again.

"Thank you," he said gratefully. "I was too afraid to move in case it came back." He squinted at his rescuer. He wore a hood and a strange garb, all black. He couldn't see his face through the tears that welled up. He glanced back the way he came anxiously. "Are you sure we're safe here?"

Toothless nodded, before his curiosity overcame him. "Did you see what type of dragon it was? I only heard a roar and some screaming." He added hastily.

The boy thought for a moment. "It was large and black. Smaller than a Monstrous Nightmare. Green eyes, I think. It disappeared almost as soon as it appeared." He let out a shaky laugh. "I thought it was going to eat me!"

"Well," Toothless said, thankful that the boy hadn't seen him clearly or put the pieces together. "It's gone now and we really should get you back to the trading port." He paused eying the boy. "That's where you're from, right?"

The boy nodded before he got up worriedly. "Oh my dad will be so angry! He told me not to run off and look where I am! Some chief, I'll be." He muttered the last part mostly to himself.

Toothless blinked. _Chief?_

"Who's your father?" he asked.

The boy straightened slightly. "Stoick the Vast, Chief of the Hooligan Tribe. I'm Hiccup, by the way."

Toothless; eyes widened, but he recovered quickly and held out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Hiccup. Now about your father dilemma. I'm the only one who knows you're here, aside probably from those shrieking boys I passed," he added and Hiccup grimaced, "but I doubt they'll say anything. They were too busy blathering on about the dragon. You could just say you were looking at the stalls and lost track of time."

Hiccup brightened at the idea, but then frowned. "What about you?"

Toothless shrugged and slung his bag over his shoulder. "I've got places to be." He smiled slyly at Hiccup's crestfallen face. "I'll make sure you don't run into anymore unpleasant surprises."

Within a few minutes they had dusted off what they could of Hiccup's clothes and were sneaking back into the swaying crowd. Once in sight of the Hooligan Vikings loudly arguing with another tribe, Hiccup wave a small whoop of joy. He turned to thank his savoir, only to find that he was nowhere in sight. Hiccup frowned and scratched his head in confusion. He looked around, but the boy was gone. Still frowning, he made his way over to his tribe.

His father saw him first and stopped his argument to speak to him, his thick brows furrowed in concern. "Hiccup, where have been? You've been gone for ages!"

Hiccup rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I was looking around and lost track of time."

"Oh," his father said. "As long as you didn't get into any trouble, then." He turned his attention back to his argument. "I'm telling you, Bertha, Berk has the best blacksmith around! Our weapons are indestructible!"

"Hah!" Bertha exclaimed, waving a dagger about, "I've never seen more capable forge work! Just look at this dagger! It's magnificent!" Hiccup had to agree, whoever crafted it was highly skilled.

"Nonsense!" his father argued and went on explaining that their resident blacksmith, Gobber the Belch, was undoubtedly the best forger in the inner Isles, but Hiccup ignored the conversation when he caught sight of a familiar face.

"Hello, Hiccup," Camicazi greeted, "Nice day for bartering, isn't it?" He nodded distractedly and she frowned at the half-hearted response. "Is something wrong?"

Hiccup shook his head. "I just met the strangest boy in the forest." Camicazi arched an eyebrow. "And just before that, I think I saw a Night Fury!"

Camicazi clapped her hands, grinning. "Oh I do love a good story! Tell me everything!"

Toothless watched from afar, his keen ears listening. So Camicazi knew Hiccup, which was new. He smiled at the thought of them being friends. He thought back to the Sage's words all those years ago. He was chosen as a protector, one who was to do great things. He was to protect the catalyst, the Sage had said. Toothless watched Hiccup with interest. He was definitely the same boy from his dream, Toothless was certain of that fact. He was important.

From that moment on, Toothless knew that he had to watch out for Hiccup in one form of the other. The Sage had said that one year after he found what he was looking for, he'd discover it again. Did that mean it would be a year before he saw him again? And where was this Hooligan Tribe anyway? And the great evil? He sighed, fingering the amulet. He had a year to figure it out, so there was no use worrying about it now.

With one last look at the Hooligan crest and the small Viking, Toothless melted into the shadows.


	4. Chapter 3

**I'm back from vactation and ready to write! It's a short chapter, but bear with me. It's worth it in the end. The next chapter is undergoing editing as we speak so hopefully it'll be up soon.**

 **Thanks for the reviews and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **On with the story!**

 **CHAPTER 3**

 _T_ _he evening sun beat down on_ Toothless' back as he soared through the air. It was getting late and his wings ached with fatigue. He'd flown horribly off-course in the past few days and he had absolutely no idea where he was. His eyes scanned the ocean, now orange in the dying sun's glow and let out a curl of smoke when he spotted an island in the distance. With a sigh of relief, he soared doggedly towards it.

Within minutes, he was above the island and angled his wings towards the lush, dark forest. Once in the cover of the trees, he folded his wings and looked for a spot to rest for the night. He walked for a while before he came across a small uninhabited cove and glided down its high rock walls. It was dark, but the rising moon bathed the cove in light, glinting off the large pool of water. It was beautiful, Toothless thought, but right now, in his tired state, he wanted nothing more than to sleep. Making out a small alcove in one of the walls, he trudged toward it and flopped down on the soft grass. He'd figure out where he was in the morning. Sighing wearily, Toothless shrugged off his riding bag and curled up, drifting into a dreamless sleep immediately.

The shrill calls of the birds was what drew Toothless from his slumber. He arched his back and yawned, blinking blearily at his surroundings. _Where am I?_

The events of the past night came slowly back to him and he sighed, shifting into his fourteen-year-old human state, before sitting cross-legged, his back against the cold stone wall. He rummaged through his satchel and pulled out a worn map, spreading it on the ground in front of him.

"I passed that island two days ago," he mumbled to himself, poking a rather barren of island. He wrinkled his nose at the remembered of the smell. "Must have been the Outcast Islands now that I think about it." He frowned at the map and brushed the unruly hair out of his eyes. "I should have found Berk by now."

He stared at it for a good five minutes before straightening and rolling the map up. His stomach grumbled and he looked around. The sun glinted off the large pool and his stomach rumbled again. Toothless shoved his packs into the alcove and shuffled over to the pool. The silver backs of haddock flickered as he shifted and slipped nimbly in the water. He waited, watching, before he shot forward and gulped down three fish. He kept at it until he had eaten his fill and leapt out of the pool, shaking the droplets off his wings.

Shaking the last of the water off his scales, he closed his eyes and hummed with pleasure as the sun beat down on his back. He stood there for minutes, relishing the heat, before sniffing around for another opening to the cove. Finding one, he slipped out and made his way through the thick undergrowth. The rays of morning sun dappled the leafy undergrowth, sending soft patches of light across the brush as the breeze ruffled the branches overhead and he picked his way around the patches, making a game out of it as he had done so often as a hatchling. His mind wandered as he walked.

It had been a year since he had first met the heir of Berk and he was itching to find him again. The maps he had collected had told him that Berk should be around here. If he had already passed the Outcast Islands, he should have come across Berk by now. Toothless cursed the horrid winds that had driven him so far off course but shook his head ad huffed.

 _This is no time to complain,_ he thought to himself. _I've followed the winds for years and they've never failed me. For all I know, this could be Berk itself._

He was so lost in thought that he almost missed the sound of voices not far from him. Toothless panicked slightly and ducked behind the bushes, pressing his bulky form to the ground. Thankfully, the plant life was plentiful on this particular island, so the leaves hid him completely from sight. He held his breath as the voices came closer.

A young Viking girl appeared carrying a bundle of sticks in her arms, huffing slightly under their weight. She set them down and stretched the muscles in her back. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a thick braid and a head piece kept her long bangs from her eyes. A large axe was strapped to her back, seemingly far too big for her small frame. Toothless knew better than to judge someone by how they appeared. He had no doubt that this girl could use the weapon.

The girl wiped the sweat off her brow and glanced around as if looking for someone and, when no one appeared, a ghost of a smile played on her lips.

"Hey, Astrid!"

The smile vanished.

A large boy pushed his way through the bracken and waved at the girl, whose name was Astrid, and almost dropped his bundle of wood. From where he was hiding, Toothless wrinkled his nose at the stench of unwashed body and sweat that rolled off of him. The boy dropped his bundle and groaned but as he caught Astrid watching, he flexed his muscles and grinned. Astrid rolled her eyes.

"What do you want now, Snotlout? I already said no," she said wearily. It wasn't hard to guess that she wanted nothing but to get away from him.

"C'mon, Astrid, why won't you?" Snotlout whined.

"Because I don't want to. Just because our families have a truce, doesn't mean I have to like you." Astrid said.

"But I'm the heir. Why wouldn't you want me?"

Toothless' heart dropped. This wasn't Berk after all.

Astrid scowled and picked up her bundle again, hefting it higher. "You're not the heir, Snotlout. Odin help us if you were."

Snotlout's mouth wrinkled into a terrible sneer. "Just because Useless is another year older doesn't mean things couldn't change. You've seen him. He's hardly worthy of the title 'Chief.'"

"And Snotlout, Chief of Berk would be _so_ much better. Hiccup is twice the person you are, Snotlout, he just doesn't show it."

Toothless let out a rumble of joy. _Hiccup is here._

Astrid dropped her bundle and whirled around at the sound, her hand reaching for her axe. Toothless crouched down lower, silently cursing himself. Her eyes raked the forest, but she found nothing.

She picked up her bundle and turned to Snotlout who had gone white. "We should head back. We don't want to miss the feast." Snotlout took one look at the shadows that moved menacingly and nodded. Without a word, the two of them disappeared back the way they came.

But this time, they were not alone. For just behind them, a thin silent shadow followed them to the outskirts of their village, stopping unseen in the treeline. Toothless didn't dare enter the village, even as a human, for fear of being spotted. If this was the right island, there was no use in compromising his mission by being seen.

So he stayed there watching and waiting in the shadow of the trees looking for any signs of the boy he had meet last year. The sun began to set over the village and a few men lit torches before heading up towards the large hall off to the side where Toothless had watched villagers carry large plate of food and gifts through its doors. He caught the scent of roasted meat and fish and his stomach rumbled slightly. Didn't one of the Vikings mention a feast?

Not long after, great shouts of laughter and singing drifted to his ears from the hall as crowds of Vikings celebrated the feast. Still Toothless did not move. He sat there long after dark as the Vikings sang and hooted with laughter. Finally, drawn out by the cold winds on the night and the warmth of the torches, Toothless pulled on his hood and crept into the village.

He stopped and peered out from one of the houses not far from the hall, debating whether to try to steal some food. But that would require entering the hall and risk being seen.

 _It would be safer to sneak into the storehouse_ , he thought, _if I can find it, that is._

The great doors of the hall opened and Toothless ducked behind the house. He risked a glance towards the newcomer. A thin boy appeared, the torches lighting up a weary smile on his face. He ran a small hand through his auburn hair and sighed happily. Even from this distance Toothless recognized him and his heart leapt in happiness. This was Berk and he had found Hiccup.

As he watched, the door opened to admit a large, burly man with a fiery beard. His stern face broke into a proud smile as he spotted Hiccup and he put a large hand on the boy's shoulder. Hiccup looked up at him and smiled, saying something happily. The man let out a bark of laughter which echoed in the darkness.

 _There's his father, Stoick,_ Toothless recalled. _They look nothing alike, then._

It was true. Next to his father, Hiccup barely came up to his chest and he stood awkwardly, as if unsure of himself. But he was smiling and content.

Toothless watched as Stoick let his son inside and he grinned to himself. "Happy birthday, Hiccup."

For four years Toothless stayed on the island of Berk, watching Hiccup from afar as he struggled with the life of a Viking. It didn't take him long to realize how much trouble Hiccup really got into both in the village and in the forest. Toothless would follow him as he watched and documented the dragons on his island and, more than once, Toothless had quietly scared away any dangers that approached him. Hiccup didn't know it, but he had a secret guardian every time he set foot into the forest.

Rumours of a Night Fury on Berk spread over the years and every once and a while, brave men would set out to find it and Toothless would be forced to hide in the caves that lined the farthest shore of the island. But as time passed and the Night Fury evaded them, the search parties ceased altogether and the village became preoccupied with the dragon raids every few months. The story of the rumoured Night Fury was told only to scare children and to stop them from entering the forest.

Only Hiccup had glimpsed the dragon, though at the time he had thought it to be a dream. He had fallen asleep in the forest and had awoken to the sound of footsteps. Out of the corner of his eye he had spotted a finned tail disappearing into the dense trees and glimpsed a flash of green. But he'd blinked and it had disappeared. He couldn't have known that the dragon had been guarding him while he slept.

Toothless watched over Hiccup quietly and contently as he grew, and, though they never met in that time, he grew alongside him, in body and understanding. And through it all, Toothless could not shake the feeling that change was on the way.


	5. Chapter 4

**Yeah, yeah, I haven't posted in a while. I've been busy with University and my original pieces. Anyway, the story will pick up the pace, I promise. I have great things planned for this story and the Vikings of Berk!**

 **Without further adeu, on with the story!**

 **CHAPTER 4**

 _The sun arched high in the_ blue sky as a young Viking peered over the rocky outcrop, trying to catch a glimpse of the brilliantly coloured creatures below. Four large Deadly Nadders lazed about, their spiked tails wrapped snugly around their noses. The young Viking felt a smile tug on in lips at their calm demeanour. These fearsome monsters would kill him and all his people if ever they were to meet. And yet, here he was, not ten meters away watching them sleep contently.

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third scribbled in his worn journal, constantly looked up to capture the magnificent creatures. He'd sat here since before noon with his journal in front of him, taking note of their preening and behaviour towards each other and contemplating their strange demeanour.

His father would kill him if he knew he was here in the forest. It had been weeks since the last dragon raid, but the threat of dragons was still prominent, especially in the forest around Raven's Point. But Hiccup just couldn't help himself. The forest was his safe haven and the only place where he could be himself. He didn't have any friends and he was already called a nuisance by the villagers. He was doing them all a favour by staying away.

His attention snapped back to the present as a strong wind blew and ruffled the papers of his journal. Hurriedly, he slammed the book shut and ducked behind the rocks. Slowly, he lifted his head and peered towards the sleeping dragons. One had lifted its large head and yawned, its beak glistening in the sunlight. It stopped mid-yawn and cocked its head in his direction. Hiccup stifled a gasp and flattened himself against the rock, praying that he hadn't been seen.

He counted to twenty before peering over the rocks once more. The Nadder had gone back to sleep.

He let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding, and relaxed but as he did, his foot slipped and kicked the out crop of stones. Hiccup cursed silently, looking fearfully in the direction of the dragons.

 _One. Two. Three. Where was the fourth one?_

Leathery wings churned the air behind him and Hiccup flipped onto his back to see a large Nadder meters from him, its spikes splayed out in a hostile manner.

"Uhh, hi," he squeaked. "Don't mind me. I'll—"

The Nadder slammed a taloned foot into the ground and roared.

Hiccup yelled in fright and scrambled to his feet, the journal slipping from his grasp, and dived out of the way of the Deadly Nadders talons seconds before they gouged the rock behind him. It screeched angrily and flicked its spiked tail, sending deadly projectiles in his direction.

"Ahhh!" Hiccup yelled as he ducked under the spines and ran as fast as he could in the opposite direction of the marauding dragon.

"Oh Thor," he shrieked, covering his head as he ran. "It's going to kill me! I'm sorry, I won't bother you!"

His foot slipped on a smooth rock and he yelped as he fell a couple feet down the hill, landing painfully on his leg. He lay dazed on the ground, blinking the stars out of his vision. The Deadly Nadder landed heavily in front of him, its wings splayed and its teeth glistening with drool. It brought one narrowed eye close to him and glared at its prey, its nostrils flaring as it took in his scent. The Nadder squawked loudly in his ear and he shielded his face in fear, waiting for the inevitable blast of fire.

Suddenly, the dragon let out a shriek of surprise as something small and round smacked its face. Another rock nailed it in the side and it stumbled away and looked around.

"Hyah!"

A figure leapt between him and the Nadder, waving his arms at the dragon, a dagger in each hand. The dragon stepped back in fright and squawked at the newcomer. He brandished the daggers. "Scram!"

The Nadder gave him one last look before spreading its wings and flying away with indignant cries. Hiccup drew back his arms, relief washing over him, and gaped at his saviour.

The boy, not much older than him, had long, unruly hair that stood up in tufts and green eyes that illuminated his tanned face. His brow was furrowed as he glared after the fleeing dragon and he muttered something under his breath. His clothes were what intrigued Hiccup the most. Black, almost scaled leather armour encased his upper body, covering a slate-grey tunic. He wore black fur boots that were laced halfway up his shins and black fabric pants. Around his neck was a jade, coin-sized amulet, suspended above his heart by an intricate silver chain.

The boy sheathed his daggers and strode over and flashed Hiccup a sharp-tooth grin. He held out his hand and helped Hiccup to his feet.

Dazed, Hiccup stumbled and the stranger steadied him. He dully noticed that the black armour was actually covered in dark round scales that were cool to the touch as his hand brushed them.

"Easy," the stranger spoke for the first time in a soft voice. "Get your bearings. Your village isn't far from here. Can you walk on your own?"

Hiccup nodded numbly and limped in the direction of where he thought the village was. His mind was too jumbled to question how he knew where it was but the stranger gently guided him in the right direction of the village.

"You're Hiccup, right?" the stranger asked.

"Yeah," Hiccup managed before remembering his manners. "Thanks for saving me. I didn't think they would be so agitated today."

"You do that regularly?" the strange boy inquired humorously. "You really should be more careful. Nadders don't like being snuck up on. I know that from experience."

Hiccup smiled and grimaced as his leg jarred and the stranger looked at him worriedly. "Are sure you're okay?"

He nodded sheepishly. "I twisted my ankle when I fell, that's all." He stopped, his eyes widening. "My journal! I left my journal back there. I need to get it."

The stranger stopped him with a hand. "We can get it later. Right now we need to get you back," he looked up at the sky. "Preferably without any more dragon attacks. Come on." He grabbed Hiccup's arm and slung it over his shoulder and sped up, Hiccup protesting indignantly.

They reached the village almost an hour later and the sun was almost set. Vikings were milling about and some stopped when they saw the two of them. Toothless shifted Hiccup's weight slightly and looked around, spotting a familiar face. Gobber, the blacksmith gawked at his apprentice and hurried forward.

"Where have ye been, boy? Yer father's worried sick!"

Hiccup gave him a tired and relieved smile. Gobber sighed and took the exhausted boy from Toothless and told one of the Vikings to find the chief, before heading towards the chief's house, Toothless trailing behind him.

Stoick met them at the house looking very relieved. "You found him. Oh thank Thor." He said. "Are you okay, son?"

"Fine, Dad," Hiccup said. "Just tired."

Stoick nodded relieved. "Good, rest, off ye go." He said gruffly. Hiccup nodded and gave Toothless one last grateful smile as Gobber helped him up the stairs to his room.

Stoick stared after him before addressing the stranger standing awkwardly in his doorway for the first time. "Come in, come in. Where did ye find him?"

Toothless complied and entered the house of his secret friend. "He was near a Nadder nest about an hour from this village. The Nadders were agitated and I intervened after I saw him fall."

Stoick eyed the stranger's attire and how he held himself with quiet poise. "You have my thanks. May I ask where you're from? I haven't seen you before."

Toothless shrugged slightly. "I travel and sell my workings around these islands. I stopped on Berk with the merchants but I'm afraid they may have left without me by now." Toothless sighed inwardly, relieved that he'd seen the merchant ships arrive a few days ago. They never stayed for more than a few days and it was perfect cover for him.

"Well, I'm indebted to you for saving my son. The summer storms are setting in and I'm afraid that it would be too dangerous to leave now. You can stay for as long as you want..."

"Nraseri," Toothless said.

Stoick nodded. "Nraseri. Unfortunately, I do not have a place for you to stay while you are here."

At that moment, Gobber came down. "There's a spare bed in the back room of the forge, if ye want it. It's warm."

Toothless bowed his head respectfully. "If you will have me."

Gobber chuckled before turning to Stoick. "He's out like a candle in a storm. A little banged up and shaken, but he'll live."  
Stoick nodded, relief evident on his face. Gobber patted Toothless on the shoulder and grinned. "Come on, then, Nraseri. Let's leave the Chief to his duties. I'll show you to the forge."

With that, Toothless left Hiccup in the care of his watchful father and was led to the forge. He knew that with this show that he couldn't leave now. He'd have to stay until the storms were over, but he didn't mind. He could keep a better eye on Hiccup from here. From what he had seen over the past years, Hiccup needed a friend. Maybe he could be there for him in more ways than before, now. Toothless smiled to himself. This could be fun.

It was almost noon the next day when there was a soft knock on the forge entrance. Toothless looked up from his project and saw Hiccup standing timidly at the entrance. He had a small cut on his forehead and was favouring his right leg slightly, but other than that, he looked alright.

"My dad told me you were staying here until the storms were through," he said. "I wanted to thank you again for yesterday."

Toothless waved off the thanks as Hiccup picked up his apron. "It wasn't like I could leave you, you know. Think nothing of it."

Hiccup added more wood to the fire and glanced at him. "I know one or two people who would have left me there." He said quietly, but Toothless still heard him. Hiccup brushed off his hands on the apron. "You said your name is Nraseri, right? It's not Norse, is it?"

"No," Toothless replied. "It's from a land north of here. My tribe is from the edge of the Archipelago."

Hiccup looked like he was about to ask another question when Gobber shambled in, unscrewing his hand. He stopped in surprise when he saw him. "Yer up, I see. You sure you shouldn't be resting?"

Hiccup picked up a damaged sword from one of the barrels and shrugged. "There's work to do and I've already slept half the day away. Look at the state of these swords. I was supposed to have them done yesterday. Besides," he said. "I'd rather be working here than with the others."  
Gobber nodded in understanding and reached for his hammer, screwing it on.

"Well don't work yerself too hard. We've got an extra set of hands in the forges for a while, so take it easy."

Hiccup glanced in Toothless's direction and Gobber continued. "Nraseri has offered to help out while he's 'ere and I can't say no to an eager strapping young lad. The previous ones all ran away within the month."

Hiccup didn't add that the reason they left was Gobber's unearthly singing. Even Toothless had heard it on his flights and he smiled down at his work.

"Well I'd better be getting back out there. Silent Sven's sheep broke through his fencing and got into Mildew's garden. The old fart's got his undies in a twist. You two man the fort while I'm gone." He put a set of tools under his arm before heading back out.

It was quiet again, save for the hammering on steel as both boys worked on their respective projects. Hiccup was on his third sword and wiped to swear off his brow. He looked over at Nraseri who was examining a small object in the light. Nraseri caught him looking and put the object down.

"Do you need any help there?" he asked.

Hiccup shook his head and set the sword to the side. "Naw. I'm going to take a short break." He limped over to Nraseri's side. "What are you making?"

Nraseri showed him the object and Hiccup's eyes widened. A small, beautifully crafted dagger lay on the work bench. Its five inch blade curved upwards slightly and, though it was not sharpened yet, the metal gleamed dangerously. He had been in the process of engraving the hilt and already, a quarter of it was etched with the beginnings of a dragon.

"You made this?" Hiccup exclaimed in awe. "How?"

Nraseri shrugged. "It was a hobby of mine. I sell them at the trader's port not far from here."

"May I?" Hiccup asked gesturing to the dagger. Nraseri nodded and he picked up the dagger inspecting the superb markings. "It's light! What metal is this?"

Nraseri smirked. "That's a secret. But I'll tell you this, it can cut through practically anything."

Hiccup gave him a doubtful look before setting the dagger down. "Are you also an apprentice?" he asked. "You seem to know a lot about the forge."

Nraseri leaned back on the bench with one of the tools in his hand. "I shadowed a blacksmith for a while and picked up some tricks and I've worked in a few forges but no, I travel too much to be an apprentice. Apparently though, people liked my creations so I began selling them. I always carry some with me and get by on what I make. I enjoy it."

He stopped and his face brightened. "Oh yeah, I have something for you." Nraseri got up and went into the room where he was staying. He returned a few moments later with a book in his hand.

Hiccup recognized it immediately.

"My journal!" He said. "You found it."

Nraseri handed it to him. "I went this morning to get my pack I'd left and saw it on the ground. It's a little chewed though, the Terrors must have got to it."

Hiccup fingered the chewed edges and smiled, happy to have it back. "Thank you, Nraseri."

His stomach rumbled slightly, and he glanced at the floor, his ears reddening. "Speaking of chewed, its past noon and I haven't eaten since yesterday. Want to get something to eat in the Great Hall?"

Nraseri wrapped the dagger in a cloth and placed it in his satchel. "Why not? Lead the way."

Hiccup gasped for air, clutching his sides as Toothless picked at a plate of practically finished food, a grin on his face. They sat at one of the long tables in the Great Hall, where Toothless had finished recalling his endeavours in the past years. Human, of course.

"That's how I found out that Changewings hate having their eggs touched. Luckily it was dark and I found a good hiding place. I was too afraid to leave for days!"

Hiccup tried to control his laughing, to no avail. "So you tried to take one?"

Toothless up his hands, quite enjoying himself. "Hey, in my defence, I thought they were gemstones. They practically glow." He thought back. "On the bright side, I learned that, although Changewings can hide really well, they let out a hissing sound before attacking."

Hiccup raised an eyebrow at this new information. "I didn't know that. That could be very helpful if they ever raid Berk. Let me write that down."

He opened his journal, only for it to be wrenched from his hands by a meaty fist.

"What's this I hear about you being almost eaten by a dragon, Hiccup?" a burly teen sneered, holding book high above Hiccup's reach. Toothless narrowed his eyes as he recognized the Viking from his hunts. He had seen him in the forest and even from far away, the loud boy annoyed him.

"Come on, Snotlout, I don't want trouble." Hiccup said as he tried to reach his journal. "Please give it back."

"Oh," Snotlout mocked. "Give it back? Is that what you asked the dragon?" The teens behind him guffawed at his joke. Toothless didn't see how it was funny. "I say, you should have stayed in the forest and let the dragon eat you. Berk doesn't need a chief who can't defend himself."

Toothless was growing tired of this boy and, seeing Hiccup's disheartened face, he thought it was time to intervene. "Give the book back, it took long enough for me to return it. I don't want it any more ruined than it is already."

Four pairs of beady eyes turned towards him for the first time. Snotlout, who had not noticed the other boy at all, looked shocked to be addressed in such a manner. He looked from Hiccup, to the stranger and back to Hiccup, the pieces slowly falling into place. He was quite pleased with himself for figuring it out.

"Is this the poor soul you had drag you back here?" Hiccup's face reddened in embarrassment and Snotlout knew he'd hit a sore spot. He turned to Toothless and eyed him. He looked a few years older than himself and, although not as big, he looked like a fighter.

"Why are you still with him, boy? Surely you'd rather be with the real Vikings, not this worthless child."

Toothless arched an eyebrow, his disgust for Snotlout growing. "My name's Nraseri and I'd far rather sit with someone with intellect than with one such as yourself." One of the smarter of the bunch let out a chuckle and Snotlout computed the insult slowly before turning a dark shade of purple. "And I'd like the journal back." Toothless said coolly.

The boy Viking clenched his meaty fist but did not strike the older boy; something in his lantern-like eyes held a challenge that Snotlout knew he wouldn't return from unscathed. With a huff of exasperation and fury, he threw the journal onto the table, narrowly missing Hiccup's flask. He glared at Hiccup. "Next time, cousin, you won't be so lucky. Watch your back." He shoved Hiccup and stalked out of the Great Hall, his friends following.

Hiccup let out a pent up breath and shuddered before sitting back down. "You really shouldn't have done that, Nraseri. Snotlout always gets his way."

Toothless stared after the group. His dragon stirred restlessly inside of him and he took a silent breath. "Is he always like that?"

Hiccup flicked a crumb off the table gloomily. "Pretty much. More though around me. He's next in line to be chief. After me, of course, and he thinks that I've somehow taken what's his. I don't want to be chief, but handing it to him is not an option." He groaned and rubbed his forehead. "After this, the next few days are going to be torture."

Toothless watched him for a moment before cracking a sharp-toothed grin. "Well I guess I'll have to stick around you for a while in case Snotface comes back."

At this, Hiccup brightened at the aspect of having a friend, if only for a short while. He reached for his tattered journal. "That sounds like a plan. Now what was that you said about Changewings?"


	6. Chapter 5

**Wow, two chapters in less than a week! Roan, you've outdone yourself.**

 **Thank you so much for reviewing once again and check out my other story if you have time, or, if you're like me and don't have time and want to check it out, do so by all means.**

 **Just to be clear, when the story is in Toothless' POV, he is referred to as "Toothless." If it is in anyone else's POV, he is referred to as "Nraseri."**

 **Also, again, this story is not a Slash Fic. I repeat NOT A SLASH FIC!**

 **I do not own DreamWorks or How To Train Your Dragon. I also do not own a dragon and that makes me immensely sad.**

 **On with the story!**

 **CHAPTER 5**

Hiccup and Toothless' (or Nraseri, as Berk knew him as) friendship grew from that day. Working in the forge side by side, the two of them were like a well-oiled machine, moving together as if they had done it all their lives. Toothless enjoyed being close to the boy he'd sworn to protect, and Hiccup, he knew, was happy to finally have a friend.

It wasn't until four days after Nraseri had appeared on the Isle of Berk that trouble began to stir.

Snotlout was fuming. His useless cousin had avoided him for three days and he was growing restless. It wouldn't have been so bad had that new stranger not been around him.

 _Nraseri_. Snotlout soured as he thought about the guy. Tall, dark haired, and utterly insufferable. He scowled as he thought of how he'd insulted Snotlout in front of his friends, refusing to join them when they were easily better company than his scrawny cousin. Snotlout jammed his axe into the table he was sitting at and ran his fingers through his greasy hair.

Oh, he'd have his revenge. Although he didn't have much of a brain, Snotlout knew that it would be suicidal to challenge Nraseri to a fight. Not when he'd watched him flick those daggers of his in the air and catch them with such skill when he'd had passed the armoury. No, he'd go after someone else. Snotlout grinned ruthlessly. He'd go after Hiccup.

So for the next few days later he watched the two boys and found that, in the early hours of the morning, Nraseri would disappear, leaving a small gap of time where Hiccup was on his own. And on the fourth day, Snotlout made his move.

It was about eight in the morning when Hiccup made his way to the forge his journal in one hand and a packed lunch of smoked fish in his other. He was smiling, for it was a beautiful day. Unbeknownst to him, it was about to take a turn for the worse. Much worse.

As he was about to heading into the forge, a meaty hand clamped down on his shoulder and yanked him around to the back of the building. His captor threw him to the floor and he heard nasty chuckles all around him. Hiccup spat out the dirt that had made its way into his mouth and look into the face of his cousin. Snotlout grinned leeringly at him, his grotesque mouth twisted into a disgusting smile.

"No one to save you here, Hiccup," he sneered.

Hiccup tried to stand back up but Snotlout shoved him back down. "Ow. Please let me go Snotlout," he said tiredly and slightly annoyed, although Hiccup knew get that letting him go was the last thing his cousin would do. "I've done nothing to bother you in the slightest. What do you want?"

"I want to be chief, but that's not going to happen any time soon," Snotlout snapped. "So I'll settle for making your life miserable. And after that show your friend made of me a few days ago, I'm not the happiest person on Berk." He bent down and leered at Hiccup. "I'll make you pay for that."

Hiccup glanced towards the forest at the mention of his new friend. Nraseri always left in the mornings to an unknown place in the forest, though Hiccup didn't know why and he never asked, it wasn't his business. But out of all the times, Hiccup silently prayed that Nraseri would return soon.

Snotlout caught him looking and smirked. "Don't think your friend will help you now." He put his boot on Hiccup's side and savagely kicked, causing the small boy to yelp in pain. "I sent a few boys to meet him on his way back. He won't be here any time soon." He laughed at the hopeless look on Hiccup's face and kicked him again in the chest.

Hiccup curled into a fetal position, covering his head with his hands as his cousin kicked him. After a minute, there was a beautiful span of nothingness and Hiccup let out shaky breath. And then he heard the sound of paper being torn.

Bits of parchment rained down on him and he heard Snotlout's band of boys laugh. He spared a glance through narrowed eyes and realized in horror that the only paper around was his– oh no! His journal!

Hiccup let out a horrified cry as he grabbed for the journal in Snotlout's hand, tears of frustration in his eyes. Snotlout laughed in delight as he held it out of Hiccup's reach, and shoved the boy to the ground.

"Not much of a Chief, are you, Useless? Are those tears I see?" The others laughed and Snotlout planted his foot on his chest. He leaned close enough for Hiccup to smell his rancid breath. "No one would follow someone as useless as you. I suggest you go back to those dragons you're so fond of and become their lunch. At least you'd be useful filling someone's belly," he hissed. He threw the torn book at Hiccup and kicked him again and again. Hiccup closed his eyes and made himself as small as possible, praying to Thor that he'd send someone to help him.

Thor must have been listening, for not a moment later, Snotlout let out a shout of pain. If Hiccup had not been in such a situation, he would have said that he sounded like a squealing boar with an arrow in his rump.

Hiccup cracked his eyes open a sliver and saw a pair of very familiar black boots. Opening his eyes further and uncurling painfully from the ball he had tucked himself into, he caught sight of the black armour and a red faced Snotlout, holding his nose.

"What do you think you're doing?" Nraseri demanded, his eyes blazing with fury. Hiccup let out an immense sigh of relief.

Snotlout shoved one of his friends away and stood tall, his already squashed nose bleeding profusely. "This is between blood, outsider. A fight to see who's strongest, and the results pretty are clear."

Nraseri scowled and looked back at Hiccup, worry written across his face. Hiccup gave him a shaky smile and shifted into a more comfortable position on the ground. Nraseri turned to look at Snotlout coolly.

"A fight between blood means that both sides are equal. From what I see, there are five of you against Hiccup who has no weapon and no time to ready himself. Hardly a fair fight."

"How are you here, Nraseri? You don't return for another half hour, I've watched you. My friends should have kept you away."

"Pretty lousy friends, I'm afraid, Snotlout. I went right around them." That wasn't a lie, Toothless thought. He'd been returning from his morning flight when he saw them. All it took was a growl from the bushes to send them scrambling back to the village. He'd realized something was wrong and had shifted and raced back to find the scene before him. It had taken all he could to keep his dragon at bay.

"Now, you can leave quietly or I will not have mercy. But I will tell you now. I am not in a happy mood," he growled.

Snotlout laughed and looked at his gang before swinging his fist at Toothless, who dodged it with such speed that he was nothing but a blur. Toothless reeled around and elbowed him in the back, sending him crashing to the floor. He glared at Snotlout with such fury, his fingertips itching as his dragon tried to force its way out. Snotlout stared as him in shock and fear as Toothless took a step closer. But at a glance at Hiccup's frightened expression, Toothless calmed himself, sending his dragon into a restless sleep.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" a loud voice bellowed. All eyes turned to the Chief as he made his way towards the group. A small crowd had gathered. Snotlout smirked before struggling to his feet.

"Nraseri attacked me, sir! I was going to the forge when he came out of nowhere."

Nraseri whirled around and glared at him with such ferocity that he almost flinched. Nraseri's eyes almost looked as if they were glowing with an unearthly green light.  
Stoick glared at Nraseri before noticing Hiccup sitting on the ground behind him. His son didn't meet his eye and he noted he'd have to speak with him later. He eyed Nraseri again. "Is this true?"

"No, sir."

"He's lying," Snotlout blustered and Nraseri looked ready to attack him again. "He started it, Chief. I was only defending myself."

Stoick was about to speak when another voice interrupted. "Not that you're any good at defending, Snotlout." Astrid stepped forward, Fishlegs not far behind her. "Sir, Snotlout started it and it looks like he couldn't finish it either."

Astrid, who had been in the area, had watched the entire event unfold from behind a building. Although at the time, she thought that it was indeed a fight between bloods, hardly something she was entitled to interrupt. It had taken the journal for her to realize what the true circumstances were. She had seen Nraseri burst out of the forest and had berated herself for not stepping in. This was her way to redeem herself.

"He challenged Hiccup to a fight, but attacked him before he was ready." Hiccup looked at her sharply, confusion written across his face. Astrid knew that he would rather his father not know the true beginning of the confrontation. "Nraseri was breaking it up and Snotlout went berserk."

Fishlegs piped up. "It's true, sir. I saw it too." He too had witnessed the fight in its true form, but fear had kept him rooted to the spot. Only when Astrid had caught his eye did he step forward. Stoick gave Nraseri an appraising look and turned to Snotlout, who had gone a peculiar shade of green.

"Spitelout," he said calmly as the warrior came closer. "I think it would be a good idea to take your son and teach him some manners." Spitelout nodded and, muttering under his breath, grabbed a very pale Snotlout and dragged him away.

Stoick turned to the crowd. "Nothing to see here, get back to work." The crowd dispersed, whispering and looking over their shoulders and the small group that stayed behind. Astrid stood tall in front of her chief while Fishlegs looked extremely uncomfortable at being singled out. But he held his head high anyway. Nraseri had helped Hiccup to their feet and the two of them were standing quietly, Hiccup leaning slightly on his friend. If he had been anyone else, Stoick would have shuddered at the sight look of Nraseri's expression. In the back of his mind, he mused that it was like looking at the calm before a storm.

Stoick drew his attention from him to Astrid and Fishlegs and peered at them through bushy eyebrows. "I can usually tell when someone's lying, but I won't push you two. Astrid, you've always told the truth, so I have no reason to question your judgement. You too, Fishlegs."

He turned to Nraseri. "Don't go causing any more fights, you hear. Although, in my opinion, Snotlout may deserve a little rattling once in a while, the Jorgensen family are a hardy bunch. Mind that you don't want to get on their bad side while you're here."

The boy nodded, "Understood sir."

Stoick gave Hiccup, who was holding the remains of a notebook, a worried look. His son still did not meet his eye.

He huffed suddenly. "Well, it is only morning. You four best get back to work. I don't think you'll have more trouble today." Stoick looked at his son once more before making his way towards the Great Hall.

Toothless bent down and began picking up the torn bits of parchment that littered the ground. He nodded once to Astrid and Fishlegs, who were giving Hiccup looks of sympathy. They smiled slightly and went on their way. Hiccup had not moved from his spot, and he stared after the two teens with a blank expression.

"Come on, Hiccup." Toothless encouraged, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. Hiccup unfroze and followed him into the forge. Gobber was still out. It was just the two of them.  
Toothless carefully pried the ruined journal from his fingers and set it on the table along with the torn pages. Hiccup sat heavily on the bench and stared into space, wordlessly and Toothless sighed. He ran a hand over his face, trying to control the rage he felt. After a second he gave Hiccup a small smile.

"You okay there?"

Hiccup took a shuddering breath and nodded. "Yes. Thank you. Again." His eyes flickered to the ruined journal and his shoulder slumped in defeat. "I didn't know he'd be waiting this morning. He caught me completely by surprise. I should have noticed."

Toothless watched him sadly, before fingering the journal. Hiccup hadn't let it out of his sight since they'd met and even before that. He couldn't imagine how distraught he felt fight now.

"There's no point in fixing it. It's too far gone." Hiccup muttered, and Toothless looked up at him. He laughed bitterly. "It was a silly idea, anyway."

Toothless flipped through it gently, peering at the detailed drawings and precise notes. Most of the pages were torn and dirtied but a good few were untouched. "It wasn't a silly idea. You said yourself, there are facts in here that can save lives during a raid. Rewrite it Hiccup, it's important that we know about the dragons."

Hiccup frowned at the sudden intensity. "They wouldn't read it, even if I fixed it. What's the point? And I don't have the means to get another journal. The merchants left with the last ones."  
Toothless closed the journal and turned it over, fingering the spine and the worn, flimsy leather that held it together for so long. He frowned, thinking, before rummaging through his satchel on the ground. He pulled out his tool kit and a cloth-wrapped object. He put the bundle aside and turned to the journal, drawing his dagger. Hiccup watched, puzzled, as he slit the string binding the cover with the papers.

"What are you doing?"

Toothless didn't look up as he separated he torn papers. "There are pages that are still in good condition. Less than half, but still. We," He shuffled the undamaged parchment into a pile and undid the cord on the bundle. "are going to rewrite it."

Hiccup came up to see what he was doing as the last of the cloth fell away. A dark red journal lay on the cloth, the almost scale-etched leather gleaming in the forge firelight. His eyes widened as Toothless unhitched the metal lock on the side and inserted the papers.

"I can fix the binding in my free time, but for now, keep recording and we can add it in later."

Hiccup fingered the cover in awe, the leather hard beneath his touch. It was truly beautiful. "I... I can't take this," he argued. "It's too valuable. Where'd you find this anyway?"

"I traded one of my daggers a few seasons ago with a Bog-Burglar. I haven't found a use for it so I want you to have it. An impressive and well-made book for an impressive and life changing idea." Toothless grinned. He wrapped the journal and the torn papers carefully and put it to the side. "It'll take a few days to do, Hiccup. But we will fix your work. It's too important not to."

Hiccup couldn't help smiling, his happiness returning. Maybe this was still a beautiful day, he thought as he moved around the forge, cutting and refining old weapons. The two of them didn't speak for most of the morning, just enjoying each other's company.

Toothless set his almost finished dagger down as a thought ran through his head. "Hiccup," he asked. Hiccup looked up from the sketch he was drawing. "Can you fight?"

Hiccup blushed sheepishly and looked to the floor. "Ah no. Well, maybe? I-I had lessons when I was younger but I spent the time watching the birds instead of paying attention."

Toothless almost chuckled. "Would you like to learn again?" Hiccup's grin answered for him.


	7. Chapter 6

**Author's note shall appear at the end of the chapter.**

 **On with the story!**

 **CHAPTER 6**

They decided to eat in the forest instead of the Great Hall when noon came, both agreeing that it would be best to avoid the others. Hiccup had no wish to see his father after such an incident. Nraseri had led Hiccup to the small cove he'd found and Hiccup had loved it instantly. It was so tranquil in relation to the village and Hiccup could see why his friend liked it so much.

Hiccup now sat on the grass, watching as Nraseri stood barefoot in the knee deep water of the small lake, staring intently at the water. A cool breeze swept through the cove, rustling through his black, disheveled hair, causing tufts to stick up in different directions. Hiccup mused that they resembled something like dragon horns.

Something silver flickered just under the surface of the clear water and Nraseri's hand shot out, grabbing a fish. Killing it instantly, he waded out of the water and plopped down next to the small fire that Hiccup had built. He skewered it on a stick and placed it over the flames, next to another one.

"Sure beats mutton," he joked, turning the fish slowly.

Hiccup chuckled, turning his own stick. It was nice to have someone who understood his jokes. Few people did and it had gotten him into trouble in the past. Nraseri stretched out his legs near the fire, letting the heat of the flames dry the dark material of his pants. He looked up at the sky, lost in thought.

"Where'd you learn to do that?" Hiccup asked and Nraseri looked at him questionably. "Catching the fish like that, I mean. I've never seen anyone move so quickly, besides the Bog-Burglars." He said the last part as an afterthought.

"Actually, I was there a few years ago, during their training and I was allowed to join. In exchange for working in their forges. They're a strange bunch."

"You don't know the half of it," Hiccup laughed. "They challenged us to a swim race in the middle of winter and declared that the loser prance around with a blown up sheep gut on their head for a day."

Nraseri picked up his fish and handed Hiccup one. "Did you accept?"

Hiccup peeled the fish scales back. "Of course. It was the most embarrassing day of my life!"

Nraseri almost choked on his fish at the mental image. "They're some of the best swimmers around."

Hiccup shrugged and took a bite of the fish. It was good. "It was Stoick who realized that but he saw no harm in the game. We still haven't lived that down and it's been five years."

Toothless thought about the friends he had made during his time with the Bog-Burglars. He remembered the first time he'd met them six years ago and how strange they had been. His boat had sailed off course and he'd ended up in their harbour with a certain blonde-haired girl trying to walk away with three of his daggers. He missed living amongst them and wondered if he would see them again.

They spoke little while they finished their fish, both lost in thought. Nraseri stood and brushed off his hands. "Come on then. On your feet, Hooligan," he said. Hiccup stood, giving him a puzzled look. Toothless splayed his arms out before him. "Try to hit me."

"What?" Hiccup sputtered.

Nraseri grinned and put his head to one side. "You said you wanted to learn to fight, now try to hit me."

Hiccup looked at his friend uncertainly before setting his feet in an uneven distance and swung a half-hearted fist at him. Nraseri stepped out of the way and arched an eyebrow at him. "That the best you've got? Try again." Hiccup frowned and threw another, harder punch in his direction but Nraseri easily avoided it and he stumbled forward, unbalanced. He caught himself before he fell, his face etched with irritation. Nraseri sighed.

"That wasn't good at all. If you're not serious, you can't improve, try again."

Hiccup huffed. "I don't like fighting the only friend I've got. It's not right."

"Alright," Nraseri said. He held his fists in front of him and smirked ridiculously at him. "Pretend I'm Snotlout."

Hiccup stared at him incredulously and tried to picture Snotlout in his mind, smirking horribly as he had done that morning. A shadow crossed his face and he leapt forward, his fist raised. He aimed for Nraseri' shoulder, but his friend spun out of the way and, Hiccup whirled unsteadily around. Nraseri grinned at the sudden change of determination.

"You have to balance yourself, but don't tense up. Be light on your feet," he instructed, and Hiccup shuffled his feet into a better position. He swung his fists again and Nraseri ducked effortlessly under, springing back a few paces. "Better."

Hiccup felt a smile tug on the corner of his mouth. He didn't like fighting, but having a way to stand up for himself without Nraseri's help was a tantalising prospect. Nraseri wouldn't always be there to save him. So he swung his fists at his friend, trying his hardest to find an opening. He had realized by now that none of his blows would actually connect, which, to his surprise, bothered him. Hiccup tried to think back to his meager training with the teens some years back, before he'd given up.

What was it that Gobber said? _Face your opponent with the courage and brawl of Thor and they'll run with their tails between their legs!_

Hiccup now remembered why he'd stopped going.

"Your form is terrible," Nraseri's voice brought him out of his musings and he looked at him for guidance. "Keep an eye on where you're placing your feet, Hiccup. It be pretty embarrassing if someone were to trip you in the middle of a fight. Keep your other arm up as if you were holding a shield, like this." He demonstrated and Hiccup tried to copy him, but with all the moving about, he was having a hard time concentrating on everything. In fact, within seconds of his next weak jab, Nraseri had thrust out his foot and knocked his legs out from under him and he lay sprawled out on his back, wheezing. He caught Nraseri trying to hide a grin and got to his feet, brushing off his clothes.

"I don't really see how this helps. Gobber always told us to go on instinct, not wasting time with different techniques. This keeping my arm in whatever position and watching my feet doesn't feel right at all."

"Instinct is only part of it," Nraseri explained. "You have to concentrate on the things around you and focus on your opponent." Hiccup blew the hair out of his eyes and frowned. "Fighting with instinct alone will indeed end a fight, but skill, awareness, and training will ensure your victory. Try again."

Hiccup was in high spirits as he made his way towards his house that evening, face flushed and humming a soft tune under his breath. Nraseri had practiced with him well into the afternoon, showing him the techniques of basic fighting and, although he had not liked the idea of fighting- he preferred staying out of fights- he had enjoyed it. They had headed back to the forge and helped Gobber clear up for the day, before he had headed home. Now bone-tired, aching and grinning like an idiot, Hiccup pushed open the door. And his smile vanished.

His father sat at the small table that stood in the middle of the room, a mug of ale forgotten in his hand. He looked up when Hiccup entered.

"Hi, uh, Dad," Hiccup said awkwardly.

"Son, we need to talk." Was Stoick's response. Hiccup shut the door behind him, his hands trembling slightly. His dad never wanted to talk, especially when it came to Hiccup. And when he did, it was always about something he had done wrong. Hiccup perched on one of the chairs, feeling very small in front of his father's bulk.

"It's about this morning," Stoick said, confirming Hiccup's suspicions. "I want to know what really happened. And don't say it was nothing," he said, when Hiccup opened his mouth to speak. "I'm not blind to what happens around the village."

 _So you say,_ Hiccup thought but he didn't dare say that aloud. He didn't like hiding what happened between him and Snotlout, but it had been going on for years and Hiccup didn't want to distract his father from his duties. He was too busy for Hiccup's meaningless problems. Besides, with Nraseri helping him, Hiccup felt that he could one day stand up to his cousin without help.

"Snotlout was just fooling around, Dad, it's not like he's never got into a fight before. Astrid told you, he wanted a fight and I wasn't ready. It wasn't a big deal, you know I'm terrible at fighting. When you look at it, it was like practice for the future." He knew he was rambling and quickly shut his mouth. His father relaxed slightly and he almost let out a sigh of relief.

"Well if that's all it is, son, I'll take your word. But be careful and tell your friend to be careful as well," he said gruffly. "I don't want the Jorgensen family getting any more worked up."

There was an awkward silence.

Stoick shifted in his seat. "Where were you this afternoon? Gobber said he gave the two of you the afternoon off but I didn't see you in the village."

 _"_ _Oh, you know, taking fighting lessons with someone who can rival the Bog-Burglar tribe. Hey, did you know that I found someone who knows more about dragons than just killing them?"_ Hiccup was tempted to say that, but he didn't want to get Nraseri into any more trouble. And, for some reason, Hiccup wanted to keep his lessons a secret, if not to just have some secret pleasure of his own. Instead he said, "I was walking in the forest with Nraseri. He was telling me about his voyages."

Hiccup could have sworn that his father smiled. "It's nice to know that you've found a friend. Maybe you could learn a few things from him."

 _Ouch._

"Oh yes, training is starting soon. Gobber will have his hands full with his five students so you'll be in charge of the forge."

Hiccup nodded. He already knew who the students were and realized with a start that he was not one of them. He felt a pang of hurt and envy for them. He had known that he wouldn't be a part of the lessons, even though he had asked his father years ago. But after meeting Nraseri, Hiccup realized that he didn't want to be a part of the training so much after all. Maybe that was for the better.

He stretched his sore muscles and yawned before standing. "I'm heading off to bed, now. It's an early morning tomorrow." His father nodded and Hiccup almost reach for his journal which was usually at his side but stopped. His journal was not here. It was in the forge, destroyed almost beyond recognition. He sighed heavily as he climbed the stairs to his room. It would take ages to fix and copy everything again. And what was to stop Snotlout from destroying it again like he had done Hiccup's whole life? No matter what he did, it would all be ruined again. His mind repeated his earlier words.

 _What was the point?_

 _Because it's important._

Nraseri's words rang through Hiccup's mind, his brow creasing in stony determination as he pulled out his red journal and the work didn't seem so bad. Hiccup smiled slightly. Today had proven that, through the pain and isolation, he had someone to turn to.

And that made it worth it.

 **Wow, it's been a while since I've updated this. Things just got so busy and my muse for this story was overshadowed by both my own stories and the demanding beast that is university. Fear not! I have not given up on this. Winter break is almost upon me and with it comes time to work not only on my own pieces, but the two stories I have running at the present moment.**

 **I'm going to move the author's notes to the bottom so that it does not impede your reading experience any further. Thanks for the AMAZING reviews! Feedback is always welcome. I don't have a Beta, so any mistakes are my fault and I'll try my best to catch them.**

 **As I've established in earlier chapters, I do not own HTTYD, I am merely an honourable writer who wishes to frolic in the wonder world that Cressida Cowell has created.**


	8. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

Hiccup yawned and stretched his aching muscles, groaning as he prodded a dark bruise that formed on his arm, curtesy of his cousin. The sun had just risen and he readied himself for the day. He crept down the stair and found, to his surprise, that breakfast was waiting for him. The fish was cool but still fresh and he glanced around for his father. A note lay on the table beside it and he picked it up.

 _Left early Didn't want to wake you. I'll be home late, don't wait for me._

 _-Stoick_

Hiccup reread the note several times, mystified, before folding it neatly and tucking into the food. It wasn't odd for his father to leave early, but he never actually left a note. Sure, his father was a man of little words, and Hiccup was used to that, but a note? And his favourite food? He smiled ruefully at the gesture. His father was going soft.

Hiccup cleared the dishes and left, closing the door quietly behind him. The sun was once again shining warmly on his back and the frost steamed off the roofs of the houses. It was peaceful, which was a strange way to describe a Viking village, but on this particular morning, a lull lay on the town. He walked briskly, keeping an eye out for Snotlout. Thankfully, the forge came into view without any mishaps and he let out a pent-up breath.

As he neared it, he became aware of the soft melodious sound. He frowned. Someone was singing in the forge.

He crept closer, just outside the forge entrance and listened. The voice was soft and smooth—defiantly not Gobber's, who's singing voice could curdle yak milk— gliding effortlessly through the melody.

O'er the deeps and under heavens

I will follow the beating sun

Until the day I see your joyous face

The brother that once was mine

Hiccup racked his brain. Where had he heard that song? The voice hummed for a few more seconds before stopping. There was silence in the forge.

"I can hear you breathing."

Hiccup jumped out of his skin. His heart beating a hundred miles an hour, he peeked around the corner, heat rising to his cheeks. Nraseri sat at his bench giving him a funny look. That would explain where he had heard it before. Hiccup coughed and brushed off his shirt—which was not at all dirty—and entered.

"I didn't expect you to be back so early," he stammered.

"Didn't expect you to be listening in."

Hiccup blinked at the response, amazed that Nraseri was acting so casually. If he'd been caught singing, he would have died on the spot. He shrugged, trying to find a way to change the subject. His eyes caught the blade on the table.

"You finished it," he said.

Nraseri held it to the light, inspecting the dagger. "Yeah, I was up early and had nothing to do. I didn't feel like going to the forest this morning and it was almost done."

"Where do you go, anyway?"

"Morning flight." Hiccup looked him dumbly and Nraseri cracked a grin. "Running."

"Ah," Hiccup said after a second. He gestured to the dagger, "Are you going to sell that one?"

Nraseri spun the dagger in the air, catching the blade in his hand. "Nah, I rather like this one. I'll keep it." He spun it again and Hiccup feared for his fingers.

The heir of the Hairy Hooligan Tribe shook his head and rolled his latest project out of its corner. It was almost finished and he hoped that it'd be ready for the next dragon raid. Maybe then he could prove to his father that he could take on a dragon.

He yelped as the weight snapped back, almost crushing his fingers in the process. Well, that would need rebalancing. And recalibrating. Again.

"What _are_ you doing?" Nraseri queried. "That thing is a hazard."

Hiccup poked his head up and scowled playfully. He stood up and patted the project proudly. "This is the future of dragon fighting. Or it will be." Nraseri leaned forward and poked the bent frame that creaked under his weight, and arched an eyebrow at him.

Hiccup rubbed the back of his neck. "It's got some tweaking to do, I know. But when it's done, I can finally be out there with the others. I hate having to watch the others go out there and risk their lives while I'm holed up in here. With this, I can take down a dragon in the next raid."

"So, what are going to call it?"

Hiccup grinned. "The Mangler has a nice ring to it."

Nraseri gave him a sharp-tooth grin. "Simple. I like it. It could be a weapon of destruction. If you can get it to work."

"Thank you for pointing that out," Hiccup huffed, fiddling with a loose spring before standing and brushing off his apron.

"You ever thought about fighting with a sword or something more… mobile?"

"Are you kidding? I can barely hold a sword, let alone fight with one. Gobber tried to teach me around the time we did the other lessons, but the sword just never felt right." Hiccup grimaced, remembering the last time he picked up a sword.

"Well, we should try next practice."

"Knowing my luck, I'd break the sword before I could pick it up."

"You never know. You might be a prodigy and just don't know it."

"Right and you're the king of the dragons," Hiccup said sarcastically.

Nraseri rolled his eyes before going into the back room. Hiccup shook his head and turned back to the drawing at hand but a soft knock stopped him. He looked up.

"Um, hello," a young girl said. She stood at the window of the forge, not really looking at him. She huffed loudly as if standing there was such a hassle, playing with the end of her long brown plaits.

"Ah, Beatrice," Hiccup greeted with a smile, pretending not to notice when Beatrice rolled her eyes. He brushed the charcoal off his hands and strode over to the window. "Are you here to pick up something?"

"Father's axe," she answer dully. "Gobber said it would be fixed yesterday but I forget to pick it up." Her eyes flickered to Hiccup for a second and he almost flinched at the apathy in them. She would rather be shovelling yak dirt than be here, he knew.

"It's at the back. Just give me a minute and I'll go get it," he responded awkwardly and made his way to the pickup table. There were a number of weapons to be fixed, he noted. Some still chipped from the last raid. Gobber must be pretty busy to not have got around to them because the last raid was almost three months ago. He searched around before locating the axe and grasped the heavy weapon carefully.

"Here you go," he said, straining slightly under its weight as he set it on the table. Beatrice mutter a thanks.

"Hiccup," Nraseri called, poking his head out of the back room. "Did you take my other dagger?"

"Why would I take your dagger?"

"Well, I can't find it and I need to fix the guard," Nraseri explained, striding into the main room. He was frowning, probably trying to remember where he had last seen it. "I could have sworn I saw it…" he stopped, catching sight of Beatrice. "Hello."

Beatrice jumped, her eyes wide and blushing furiously. "Hi," she squeaked, almost dropping the axe. The young girl watched Nraseri's every move as he continued his search.

"Oh, here it is," Nraseri grinned, retrieving the dagger from under the workbench and twirling it in his hands. Hiccup glanced from Nraseri to Beatrice, who was still standing at the window, blushing profusely. She noticed him looking and went another shade darker.

"M-my father wanted another sword sharpened as well. I'll go back and get it," she stammered, finally tearing her eyes from the dark haired boy.

"By all means," he started, but she had already hurried away. Hiccup shook his head as he watched her leave.

"Well, she seems nice." Nraseri said as he leaned against the table, still twirling the dagger and trying unsuccessfully to cover up a grin. "Redder than a tomato with sunstroke, though."

Hiccup gave him an incredulous look before they both broke down into muffled laughter. Nraseri dropped the dagger unceremoniously, sending them into another bout of laughter. Hiccup wasn't sure why they were laughing, but it his friend's laughter was contagious and it felt good to let the tension that had built up over time lessen. He didn't like Beatrice that much anyway. Although younger than him, she had always acted better than everyone, taking it as far as spreading lies to embarrass him in front of the others. Not that it made a difference. He had his eyes set on one person and that person would never care about what others said. Of course, Astrid barely noticed that Hiccup was there, but it was better than nothing. So he laughed at the thought of seeing Beatrice flustered.

"Why did I see Beatrice running as if Loki had asked to marry her?" Both boys jumped and turned at the sound of Astrid's voice. She was leaning in the doorway holding her awe and eying the two of them strangely. Hiccup's heart pounded, half from fright and half from the sight of her. Boy was she beautiful today. She looked like a goddess.

Nraseri picked up the fallen dagger and set it on the table. "No reason." Hiccup nodded in agreement.

She arched her eyebrow but thought better than to ask. "Anyway, I need my axe sharpened, Hiccup. You mind?"

"Not at all, Astrid," Hiccup stammered, his face reddening slightly, not that she noticed, of course. He took her axe and began the process of sharpening it on the stone. Astrid sighed and leaned on the sill, rubbing her temples. She'd been out all morning trying to sort out the twins with no success. With dragon training starting in a few days, she was swamped with work. Not to mention that she would be spending more time around Snotlout's boisterous personality. It was going to be a long couple of weeks.

"Oh," she said suddenly. "My mother wanted to know if Gobber could fix small things. She broke the clasp of her necklace and she hates not wearing it."

"How small?"

She pulled out a small chain and dangled it for him to inspect. "Hmm." He frowned and shook his head. "He doesn't work with things that small. Neither do I," he said before she could ask. "I've never tried and I don't want to damage it. You'll have better luck waiting for the traders to fix it."

Astrid huffed, and Hiccup felt somewhat guilty, as if he himself had let her down. Nraseri, however, held out his hand for the necklace and Astrid gave him a distrusting look before giving it to him. He held it carefully and inspected it.

"I'll fix it for you." Both teens gave him a weird look.

"You work with jewelry?" Hiccup asked incredulously and Nraseri shrugged.

"There's a lot you don't know about me. I, for one, am great at making things other than weapons. My jewellery is wanted by the even the Bog-Burglars." He grinned jokingly.

A squeal sounded behind Astrid and they turned to find Beatrice standing with a sword that clearly didn't need sharpening. "Can you make me something?" she said in a tone that was more of a demand than anything else. "Like a bracelet or a necklace, or, or a headband!"

Nraseri held up his hand to quieten her and shook his head. "Sorry, I don't have my supplies here. They were on my ship and that sailed along with the others." Astrid and Hiccup both cast their eyes to where a small bundle of tools lay and caught each other's confused look. "Maybe if I come again."

"Oh," Beatrice said, crestfallen.

"But I'm sure Hiccup can sharpen that sword for you now."

Beatrice gave Hiccup a disdainful look like it was his fault that the tools weren't in arm's reach and dropped the sword on the table before storming off.

They watched her go before Nraseri gestured to the necklace. "I'll have it fixed by noon."

"I thought you didn't have the supplies," Astrid said slyly. Hiccup cracked a smile.

"I don't have the patience," Nraseri answered. "Not for someone who practically orders people around like that. I also don't take requests from people I don't like."

Astrid smirked and nodded her thanks to Hiccup as she took her newly sharpened axe. "I'll come by later, then. See you."

The two boys waved goodbye and Hiccup felt his face flush slightly. Nraseri saw him redden and smirked. "You totally like her."

"What? No," Hiccup spluttered, confirming what his friend thought. "Well…yeah, kind of. But Astrid wouldn't date me if we were the last people on earth. She barely even looks at me."

"Seemed pretty happy when you sharpened her axe."

"Really? You think so?"

Nraseri rolled his eyes. "I smell love," he cooed and moved over to his desk to work.

"Shut up, Nraseri," Hiccup said playfully. He lifted Beatrice's sword and placed it in the finished pile. He's seen Gobber sharpen it yesterday and had no desire to do it again. Besides, over sharpening could damage the blade and weaken it during a fight and he didn't want to be blamed for any further unnecessary injury.

That done, he wiped his hands on his apron and went over to Nraseri who had already rolled out the cloth containing his tools. He was bending over the chain and scrutinizing the broken clasp. Hiccup moved out of his light and sat on the other side of the worktable, finished his tasks for the moment.

After a couple minutes Hiccup's eyes fell on the small insignia on the hilt of one of the closest tools and wondered where he had seen it. He looked at the other tools and realized that it was on all the other tools. A small, curling _T_ carved into the handles and stained black over time. He rested his chin on his arms, his brow furrowed. Normally the initial of the owner was engraved on a tool so that they were easy to find if misplaced. Even his had the initials, _HHH,_ not that he ever lost his tools.

Hiccup's eyes fell on the old bundle once again and he caught sight of a child's dagger. He turned his head sideways to read the messy inscription up the hilt.

 _"_ _Toothless,"_ he read aloud.

Nraseri jumped slightly and gave him a startled look. "What did you say?"

Hiccup looked at him weirdly before answering. "It says _Toothless_ in the pommel of that dagger. What's it mean?"

Nraseri put down his tools and picked up the dagger, fingering the inscription. He looked as if he was trying to find the right words and Hiccup vaguely wondered if he had said something wrong. Nraseri straightened the tools for a few seconds.

"It's, uh, my name," he said quietly.

Hiccup frowned and Nraseri smiled almost awkwardly. "It's a rough translation, really. I changed it when I left my tribe." He pointed to the dagger. "That was my first dagger, given to me by an old friend before I changed it. I rather liked the name, but you Vikings would have found it strange."

'Toothless' wasn't exactly the word he would have associated with his friend who was always flashing him sharp-toothed grins.

"It's a better name than ' _Hiccup_ ,'" he pointed out dryly and Nraseri chuckled. "Well, Toothless, I'm not letting go of that one. I'm going to call you that now."

Nraseri arched an eyebrow and gave him lopsided smile. "If you want. No one else uses it. Might be a nice change." He went back to the necklace, setting the last piece of wire into place and clamping it down gently.

Another thought crept into Hiccup's mind. "Why did you leave your tribe? You weren't banished, were you?" he asked worriedly.

Nraseri shook his head, still focusing on the necklace. "I wasn't banished." Hiccup inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. "My tribe was killed by an enemy tribe."

There was utter silence.

"I—I'm sorry!" Hiccup spluttered, dread and guilt creeping into his bones. Why did he ask that? Nraseri shrugged as if he had just told Hiccup that it would snow tomorrow.

"It happened a long time ago. I miss them, of course. They were all I had for the longest time and when they died, the gods above were good to me." He put the finished necklace to the side and fingered his amulet. "They gave me a new home and a new hope." He stared at nothing for a moment before smiling. "I've travelled to so many places, going where the wind takes me, but I've never gone back to my birthplace and I've never wanted to. I've moved on."

Hiccup blinked a few times to rid himself of the tears that stung his eyes. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose his family like that. Nraseri was so different from him in so many ways and yet they got along so well.

"You're sure something, Toothless," he said quietly.

If he had been listening for a response, he would have heard Nraseri mutter to himself, "You have no idea."

 **It's been a while. Wow, I'm so sorry, guys, I didn't mean to leave you waiting for so long.**

 **Many of you are probably wondering, "Where the heck is this story going?"**

 **Have no fear! This is the last filler chapter. I've laid the foundation for the story to continue in its movie format. Some things you'll recognize, others not so much. From now on, Hiccup and Toothless' lives are gonna get a little crazy.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'll probably have the next one up in the next day or two.**

 **The lyrics used in the chapter are mine and they'll make more sense later on (probably). Please don't take them. As wth all my writing, they're very precious to me.**

 **Let me know what you think about this latest chapter!**


	9. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8**

Hiccup had been right about the sword. Nraseri had insisted that they try sword fighting and even his seemingly unending patience was wearing thin. The unsharpened sword felt heavy in his right hand and every time Hiccup swung the unbalanced metal, it sent him staggering off to the left or tumbling to the ground or even into the lake itself. It seemed that no matter how hard he tried, Hiccup could not wield the weapon.

After half an hour of fruitless training, Nraseri sighed and sheathed his own sword and pulled Hiccup up from where he was sprawled out on the ground, panting heavily.

It looked as if his lucky streak had ended.

And then the dragons attacked.

The alarm blared in the early hours of the morning. Hiccup lurched awake, threw his blankets aside, and bolted out of bed. He grabbed his shoes and his jacket, hastily throwing them on before rushing out of his room, taking the stairs two at a time.

The dragons were back. Already he could hear them screeching and smell the smoke of their fires. An explosion rang out and the house shuddered around him.

Outside, Fjorl yelled in anger. Well, at least he'll have a new roof for devastating winter.

Now most people would have left long ago, but they were Vikings. They had stubbornness issues. No, instead of cowering in his room, Hiccup was practically bouncing with excitement.

This was it. He could feel it.

He flung the door open only to come face to face with a Monstrous Nightmare. It reared back and he yelped, slamming the thick wooden door closed as a blast of heat hit it.

That was close. Hiccup counted to ten before cracking the door open and ran down into the open plaza.

He ducked under Viking arms and weapons, a giddy grin plastered on his face. Today's the day.

Someone knocked him to the ground, an axe raised above his head.

"Yahhh! Mornin'," said Viking greeted.

And then he was off and Hiccup was back on his feet. Vikings around him rounded up sheep and charged at the dragons left right and center. Naturally, they weren't pleased that the village disaster was up and about.

"What are you doin' here?"

"Get back inside."

Hiccup ignored them. He didn't care what they said because today was the day he'd show them all.

He rounded a corner just as a Deadly Nadder flew past, lighting the road in deadly fire.

"Hiccup!" A large hand pulled him out of the scorching path, lifting him clean in the air. He winced at his father's accusing finger, a scowl etched on the older Viking's face. "What is he doing outside again- what are you doing out? Get inside!"

Stoick offhandedly pushed his son in the direction of the forge and out of harm's way. Hiccup ran the last few meters to the forge, barely stopping to grab his apron.

Gobber looked up from the sword he was repairing waved his hammer prosthetic at him in welcome. "Oh, nice of ye to join the party. Thought you'd been carried off."

"What, who me?" Hiccup picked up one of Gobber's discarded limbs and lifted it onto its peck, grunting under its weight. "No. I'm waaay too muscular for their taste. They wouldn't know what to do with all of this," he said sarcastically, gesturing to himself.

"Well, they need toothpicks, don't they?" Behind him, Nraseri snickered and Hiccup shot him a withering glare.

The forge was blazing and it made hardly a difference when Nraseri flung open the window to collect the mangled weapons. Hiccup stoked the furnace and mentally took stock of the damage.

 _Six swords, two axes, one obliterated shield. Make that eight swords,_ he amended when Nraseri dumped two more onto the coals.

"Toothless, what's the count out there?"

Nraseri looked up from the sword he was hammering and glanced out the window, into the fray. "I can see a flock of Deadly Nadders and a few Gronckles. Wait, there's a Zippleback," he added as an explosion sounded.

"Hoark saw a Monstrous Nightmare too," Gobber put in.

 _Any Night Furies?_ Hiccup wondered, unknowingly mirroring the Chief's thoughts minutes before. The possibility of actually seeing the dragon that supposedly lived in the forest was close to none. _Oh, to kill one of those,_ he thought.

"FIRE!"

Hiccup and Nraseri both whipped around at the shout, in time to see another building was blazing like a beacon to Thor. The fire brigade rushed in with buckets of water and began doing their best to put out the numerous fires. Hiccup leaned out the window and sighed as he watched Astrid throw her bucket onto the nearest flames.

Aw man, she could make anything look cool. Someday he'd be out there too.

"Nope," Nraseri said, grabbing the back of his vest and pulling him back into the forge.

"Oh, come on. Let me out, _please_. I need to make my mark."

"Oh, you've made plenty of marks. All in the wrong places," Gobber admonished, poking him with his finger.

"Please, two minutes." He tried again. "If I kill a dragon, my life will get infinitely better. I might even get a date."

Nraseri arched an eyebrow at the last part and smirked at him. Hiccup felt heat rise to his cheeks and he looked away, embarrassed by the outburst.

Gobber didn't seem to want to let the situation slide. "You can't lift a hammer, you can't swing an axe. You can't even swing one of these!" He held up a bola, before passing it to a Viking behind him.

"Okay, fine, but this will do it for me," Hiccup patted the top of the Mangler, which chose that moment to backfire and shoot a wayward bola. Nraseri ducked just in time to hear it fly over his head and smack another Viking him the face. Hiccup winced.

Gobber flung his hands in the air, an exasperated look on his face. "See, this right here is what I'm talking about."

"Mild calibration issues."

Toothless' smile faded as he listened to Gobber lecture the smaller Viking. Sure he knew that Gobber admired Hiccup's sharp mind, but he was too out there, too different.

Another explosion rang out.

"Man the fort, you two," Gobber said, changing his hand prosthetic into a more suitable weapon. "They need me out there." He turned to Hiccup on his way out. "Stay. Put. There." Awkward pause. "You know what I mean." And he left, screamed bloody murder at the beasts in the air.

Toothless sighed at Hiccup's downcast look and put a hand on his shoulder. "One day, Hiccup, you be out there with your people and they'll see who you truly are. You may have to take the hard path, but you'll get there."

"But how can I show them if they won't give me a chance? They all think I'm useless and there's no way that any of them will listen." Hiccup gestured to the Vikings outside. "They're all muscles and violence and you've seen me with a sword. I can barely land a blow."

Toothless took his hand and held it up. "I am a pretty good judge of character and believe me when I say that there is a fighter in you. You may not believe me, but it will come with patience and a lot of practice. If you want them to notice you, give them something to look at. Not what they want to see, but something that they'll remember." He gave him a reassuring grin. "You'll be great one day, but maybe not in the way you think."

"You mean becoming the hero the hard way?"

Toothless nodded. "Exactly."

The forge shook with the impact of the blast and Toothless drew his sword, pushing Hiccup behind him.

Gobber hobbled in, worry crossing his weathered face for a brief second. "Nraseri, you can use that sword of yours correct?"

"Yes…"

"Good. We need someone to help cover the barn and yer the one to do it." Gobber twisted off his hammer and replaced it with his axe head in one swift motion.

"But sir, wouldn't I be better off in here with Hiccup?" Toothless argued, trying to keep the desperation from his voice. The idea of leaving Hiccup now was almost too much to handle, not with the sheer amount of dragons in the raid.

"Nonsense, the last blast took down two of the torches near the docks and the warriors are a bit short handed. You'd be more helpful out there with them. Now git." He waved his appendage at the boy in a wild fashion. Toothless felt a growl of desperation rise in his throat and he pushed it down forcefully. If there was anything he had learnt it was that there was no arguing with a Viking. With one last looked at Hiccup's crestfallen face, he plunged into the crowded streets, passing the fire brigade on his way out.

He clutched the familiar sword and pushed all thoughts of Hiccup out of his mind, focusing on the task ahead of him. This wasn't the first time he had fought in a raid and often he used the cover to draw the dragons out of the fight. Although it had been a long time since the rising of a Queen, minor Titan Wings had been known to gain control of other dragons and if these dragons were from the nest, it could mean that the resident queen was close to awakening. That, or a stronger Titan Wing had found refuge on the surrounding islands of Helheim's Gate.

Toothless darted to the side as a large Gronckle rammed face first into a nearby house, growling at the Viking clinging to its back. The Viking waved a greeting before knocking the Gronckle on the side of its massive head. Toothless didn't stay to watch. He nodded to the man before hurrying in the direction of the barn. When he got there he was greeted by two large heads that glared at him from the doors of the barn. He glared back and smacked one of them in the face with the flat of his sword.

"Back," he growled as the right Zippleback head hissed in pain. The left head crackled with sparks but didn't get as far enough as to blast him. Another Viking howled his delight and slammed into the beast.

"That's what you get for taking our food, you lousy dragon!" The Viking howled his abuse as he tussled the dragon to the ground. His companions threw a net over the dragon while it was distracted and it roared in defeat. Toothless whistled quietly at their efficiency. Of course, it was to be expected, Berk had been at war with dragons for hundreds of years and with the Vikings' stubbornness issues, it was only logical that they had progressed so far.

 _Now if only they'd stop fighting,_ Toothless mused as he watched the dragon and the celebrating Vikings. They patted each other on the backs, one nearly knocking Toothless off his feet as they congratulated him with hearty laughter.

"Never have I seen someone smack a gas-breath'd Zippleback head in the face like that," one laughed, smacking him on the shoulder and nearly knocking him over again. "You're a good 'un, young Nraseri."

Toothless laughed rather awkwardly, rubbing his most likely bruised shoulder. "Do you need any more help here?"

One of the Vikings put his foot on the Zippleback's side, earning a low growl, which he promptly ignored. "You go on ahead, boy. We've got this."

Toothless waved his hand in thanks before racing back to the forge, unable to shake off the cold feeling that suddenly pooled in his chest. It grew worse as he neared the forge and heard no sounds of hammering within. He stuck his head through the window.

"Hiccup? You still here?"

There was no answer.

"Hiccup?" he tried again. Fear crept up his throat when his eye caught the cover of the Mangler lying on the floor. No Mangler and no Hiccup.

Toothless uttered a string of curses and dashed back into the fray. He flagged down the closest Viking, who swung his axe in a mad fashion. Toothless ducked just in time and glared at him.

"Sorry," was the muffled response.

Toothless pushed his annoyance aside. "Have you seen Hiccup anywhere?"

"Saw him 'bout two minutes ago wheeling one of his crazy inventions. One of these days he'll get into trouble and Stoick won't be there to save him," the Viking huffed.

"Thank you," Toothless said.

He ran along the outskirts of the village, trying to catch a glimpse of the small boy, but after ten minutes with no luck, he let out a growl of frustration.

 _This isn't working,_ he thought exasperated. He cast a glance towards the village. When he was sure that everyone was occupied, Toothless crept into the shadowed forest.

A Monstrous Nightmare reared its head from behind a tree and he ducked out of the way as it saw him. It pounced on him and he slid between its legs, dropping his sword. He rolled away and faced the dragon, the beginnings of black scales already forming along his arms. The Nightmare took a few steps back and eyed him with a mix of fear and anger and Toothless growled menacingly, the sound not entirely human. Wide-eyed, the Nightmare reared up and shot away eager to get away from this new threat. Toothless plunged deeper into the forest.

Far from prying eyes, he ran towards the other side of the village, his wings unfurling as he went. He leapt over a rotting log and landed on all fours and leapt into the sky with a deafening whistle.

From the air, he could see Stoick wrestling a flaming Monstrous Nightmare on one of the catapults and he narrowed his eyes at the dragons sneaking up from behind, overwhelming the Chief's backup.

The Night Fury aimed a blast at one of the nearby catapults, scattering dragons and Vikings alike. He could only hope that it would keep at least some out of danger. Even from his height, Toothless heard the dreaded yell:

"Night Fury!"

They'd seen him and they were afraid. But their fear was far from Toothless' mind as he searched desperately for Hiccup among the fires. Unbeknownst to him, on the cliffs above the docks, a small figure stood behind a large contraption, scanning the skies anxiously.

Hiccup gripped the lever of the Mangler tightly, his palms sweaty and his heart pounding. It was here, they'd all heard it. The fabled Night Fury that has never been seen. The dragon that had never been seen by Viking eyes. But that wasn't true, he knew, the Unholy Offspring had appeared to him and to this day, he had never told anyone. How could he? He shuddered involuntarily at the memory of the beast bearing down at him five years ago.

And now it was back and Hiccup was determined to show his father and his village that he was strong and worthy of the title, Viking.

His heart lurched in his throat as a faint whistle caught his ears. "Come on, give me something to shoot at."

The whistling grew piercingly loud and Hiccup swung the Mangler to face the catapult. A blast of blue and orange collided with the catapult and the silhouette of a dragon flew overhead. Hiccup clenched his eyes shut and pulled the lever.

Toothless scanned the docks frantically. Hiccup had not shown up and he had begun to panic. What if he had been carried off? What if another dragon had already killed him? Toothless shook his head roughly as he flew. He would not think like that.

 _Light,_ he thought, _I need light._

Toothless angled his wings toward the closest catapult in hopes that the light would somehow show him where Hiccup might have gone. He released a blue plasma blast and the catapult erupted in flames and he searched again. Out of the corner of his eye, the light from the flames illuminated familiar auburn hair and a skinny frame.

Hiccup.

His relief was short lived when the breath was ripped from his lungs as a bola slammed into him. Toothless let out a pained scream as the bolas wrapped tightly around his legs and tail and he careened towards the forests below. He tried to open his wings to slow his descent, but they were pinned to his side by the thick ropes. He let out one last terrified screech as the trees rose up at an alarming rate. And then everything went black.

Hiccup watched the dragon's descent in shock. "I—I hit it," he gasped before leaping to his feet and pumping his fists in the air. "Yes, I hit it! Did anybody see that?"

He turned to face where he hoped a crowd would be gathered to watch his amazing feat. Unfortunately, the splintering of wood behind him drew his attention and he spun around to find a Monstrous Nightmare grinning wickedly at him. His own smile faltered. "Except for you."

 **Ehhh, I couldn't wait another few days. Besides, this chapter was already finished. It would be a crime not to upload it to all you lovely readers.**

 **I always wondered what was going through Toothless' mind when he was shot down in the movie. If he wasn't stealing food, what was he searching for? Well, now we know (in terms of this story, of course).**

 **As always, let me know what you think of this latest chapter!**


	10. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER 9**

Screams of pain and fear plagued Toothless' consciousness. He once again cowered in the smoke filled forests of Grimdel, watching the slaughter of his family. The elders of his clan snarled at him, their scarred faces twisted in fury and disgust.

 _'_ _You can never trust a human. Those who are foolish enough to act upon this shall lead us and all dragonkind to its demise!'_

At the entrance of the cave, his uncle's lifeless eyes bore into his. _'You are no longer one of us, traitor,"_ he hissed _. 'You wear the skin of a human, but you have the wings of a dragon. You are a disgrace, defying our laws, our very nature!'_

Toothless looked down at himself and saw the pale hands of a human and felt his wings on his back. No matter how hard he tried, he could not change back into his dragon form. He was stuck, half human and half dragon. It frightened him terribly, but not as much as the look of reproach that his uncle gave him.

 _'_ _I was a fool to believe in change. Now you have taken the enemy under your wing and such actions cannot be forgiven. Even now, your precious pet brings upon you your demise.'_

Toothless tried to cover his ears to block out the words but to no avail, the ropes were too tight. Human tears ran down his face as his uncle looked away, green blood once again splashing onto the ground. All around him, shadows of Vikings stood, bearing down at him, brandishing their weapons, their eyes glowing red. One stepped forward as placed a heavy boot painfully on his leg, holding a sword high, a malicious grin plastered on his face.

 _"_ _I have brought down this mighty beast!"_

 _'_ _No,'_ Toothless cried, flinging off the boot that was pressing painfully on his leg. The owner of said boot shouted out in exclamation and stumbled away. Toothless was breathing heavily, trying to shake off the remnants of his dream, his battered body protesting. Moss brushed his nose and he realized even without opening his eyes that he was in the forests of Berk. Rope still dug into his scales and the weight of the bola was pressed into his side.

Slowly he opened his eyes, the morning light too bright for his aching head, and locked onto his attacker a few feet away. He took in the shaking tip of a dagger and the shock of auburn hair. Wide green eyes stared into his own.

Fear once again gripped his heart.

Hiccup stared at him with a look torn between terror and awe before clutching the dagger tighter, and scowling. Uncertainty crossed his face as Toothless continued to stare almost pleadingly at him.

 _"_ _Hiccup,"_ he murmured, but the Viking couldn't understand him.

Hiccup took a deep breath and looked away from the dragon's eye, focusing on where he thought his heart lay. "I'm going to kill you dragon." He raised the dagger. "I'm—I'm going to cut out you heart and take it to my father. I am a Viking. I am a _Viking!_ "

Toothless flinched ever so slightly, his fear taking hold. _"No, no, you're not."_

Hiccup held the dagger above his head and stared at the beast before him. Toothless raised his head off the ground to get one last look at his friend. He was at the mercy of a Viking, and Vikings showed no sympathy for dragons. His time was finished. He had failed to protect Hiccup from his own people and now he would die at the hands of the one he called friend.

He groaned one more time as Hiccup looked away and rested his head back on the ground. He closed his eyes.

 _So be it._

He waited for the stabbing pain. It never came, but the sounds of cutting rope did.

Toothless's eyes shot open as Hiccup sawed at the ropes, and he felt his legs slip free. A wave of relief flowed through him, but it was quickly swept away by something utterly alien.

Unbridled hatred coursed through the dragon from deep within him. His chest burned in the place of the amulet, and, before he could comprehend what was happening, Toothless had lunged at Hiccup, pinning him to the rocks behind him.

Hiccup gasped as the air was torn from his lungs as the Night Fury's claws dug into his chest. He lay frozen and breathless, staring fearfully into those large dilating pupils, ignorant to the battle that raged within. He was trapped, captivated by the deep emotion in those green-gage eyes, the intelligence in the eyes of his enemy, his killer. It was if they could see into his very soul.

He tried to move as the claws were pressed deeper into his tunic and he wondered how much harder the dragon would have to press to draw blood.

The dragon unfurled its obsidian wings and opened its great maw. Hiccup pressed himself further into the rock and waited for the fire that was yet to come. It reared up on its back legs and let out a deafening roar before leaping into the cover of the trees. It flew haphazardly into the morning fog, its roars growing further and further away.

Carefully, Hiccup pushed himself to his feet and took a deep breath. He'd shot down a Night Fury. Then he'd freed it…and he was still alive. Oh, the gods must love him now. With a light-headed laugh, and with every intention of heading back into the direction of the village, Hiccup fainted.

Toothless stared up at the Cove's steep walls, disgusted by the wave of fury that had almost driven him to do the unthinkable. His chest still ached where the amulet rested in his human form and he snorted angrily. How could he have thought those things? Hiccup was his friend and he was his guardian. Never in his life had he felt that much hatred towards anything and he was frightened. Those emotions did not belong to him. They couldn't belong to him, not after watching and looking after the Viking for so long. The amulet seemed to pulse at the thought. Toothless nodded to himself.

Well, at least after that, Hiccup wouldn't try to follow him deeper into the woods.

He winced in pain as he curled his tail around himself and he willed himself into a half human state, pushing away the fragments of his nightmare. Sighing, he limped painfully over to his hidden packs. He'd made a weatherproof and hidden cave for his supplies in the alcove when he had first landed on Berk. Inside he kept spare clothes, leather and medical supplies in his saddlebags. His everyday bag was back at the forge. He pulled out a medical pack and sat in the alcove, his half outstretched wings brushing the roof. He didn't keep this form often, but there was no other way to tend to his injuries.

Taking his tail in his hands, Toothless inspected the long gash in his left tail fin and let out a pent up breath. When he'd fled from Hiccup, he hadn't been able to take flight, and it wasn't because of his bruised wing. For a dreadful moment he had thought that he'd lost the entire tailfin and would never fly again. This, however, was fixable. He ran a hand along the long tear and hissed. The greenish blood had already dried, but it still felt like it had been dipped in fire.

Toothless reached into his bag and pulled out a long needle and thread. Threading the needle, he wiped the wound and got ready to work. As an afterthought, he rummaged through the bag and brought out an old dagger and jammed the hilt between his teeth before beginning the painful task of stitching the wound closed.

Fifteen minutes and one dagger hilt later, Toothless spat the remains of the dagger out and blinked back the tears that had sprung to his eyes. Shakily, he packed up his supplies and stood, willing his dragon form to disappear. He stumbled as the light headedness hit him and he looked up at the sun. It was midmorning. He swore, hurrying towards the entrance of the Cove.

He trudged through the forest, ignoring the pain in his head and arm. The village would have noticed his absence by now, he knew, and he didn't want them to question him about it. Toothless' vision swam and he leaned heavily against a tree, his head throbbing.

A loud growl emitted from behind him and he spun around to face a very disgruntled Deadly Nadder.

"Because this is just what I need right now," he muttered darkly.

The Nadder squawked loudly and snapped at him. Toothless ducked out of the way and ran faster through the forest. Something whistled over his head and a sharp spike embedded itself in a tree to his right. Toothless reached for his dagger and made to throw it but cried out in pain as a spike drew a deep line across his forearm. Blood welled instantly. Biting his lip, he swerved behind a large rock and pressed his back against it, panting.

An idea popped into his head as the Nadder squawked angrily again. Taking a deep breath, he willed his wings to appear and unfurled them slowly, almost gasping as he stretched the bruised muscle. The wings were visible from behind the rock, making him appear bigger than he really was. He let out a low and menacing growl, and felt the satisfaction when the Nadder let out a terrified squawk and flew away.

He returned to his human form and slid down the rock, wincing as he bumped his arm. He was too lightheaded and had no idea how far he was from the village. He sighed remorsefully. The odds were not in his favour today.

Hiccup frowned as he trudged into the forge, lost in thought. He almost jumped out of his skin when Gobber clapped him on the back.

"Where were ye this morning?"

"Uhh...n—nowhere, particular," he stammered. Gobber gave him a disbelieving looked but dropped the subject. Hiccup looked around. "Where's Nraseri?"

Gobber looked up sharply. "I thought he was with ye."

Hiccup shook his head. "I haven't seen him since the raid. Come to think of it, I didn't see him after in the crowds either."

The old blacksmith wore a troubled expression, and he put his head out of the forge window. "Astrid," he called, "Ye seen Nraseri around the village?"

Astrid shook her head and came over. "The last I saw of him he was heading for the east side of the village. Do you want me to find him?"

"That would be a good idea. Take Hiccup," Astrid looked apprehensively at him. "He knows his way around the forest better than anyone, and if Nraseri made his way into it, yer going to need him."

Any other time, Hiccup would be head over heels to go anywhere with Astrid, but right now, he was too worried about his friend to think about it. He followed Astrid towards the east buildings, worrying about Nraseri the whole way. Was he lost, injured? Dead? Anything could happen in those forests and, with the Night Fury on the loose, he feared greatly for his friend.

He almost walked into Astrid when she stopped and he blinked in surprise, looking around at the inner tree line. He hadn't realized that they were there already. Astrid stooped down and picked up a long sword. She showed it to Hiccup who took it gingerly. He fingered the strange design on the hilt, his heart clenching.

"It's Nraseri's. He had it with him last night. That means he's probably in there."

"Do you and Nraseri go into the forest often?" she asked.

Hiccup nodded and made his way in. "He disappears every morning and we go most afternoons."

"Any particular place he would have gone if he was in danger?"

Hiccup thought hard. "The Cove." Astrid frowned. "It's pretty deep in the forest, but it's possible that he could have headed there," he explained.

"Alright, Hiccup, lead the way."

They walked for about half an hour, barely saying a word. Astrid glanced at Hiccup from time to time, noticing the grim expression on his face. He clenched the sword in his left hand, which seemed rather strange to her. Wasn't Hiccup right handed? She remembered him fumbling with a sword years ago with his right hand, but brushed the thought away. He'd probably forgotten the basics of sword fighting by now.

She stopped as something brightly coloured caught her attention. A purple Deadly Nadder spine protruded from the bark, gouging deep into the wood. She touched the sap that oozed from the tree. It was soft. Claw marks tore up the ground. Hiccup looked at her upon noticing the same thing. Astrid readied her axe.

They followed the trail silently—well Astrid did, Hiccup seemed to step on every third twig, setting her teeth on edge. She was about ready to strangle him when he stumbled on something.

"Astrid," he said quietly. She turned and was slightly taken aback by the dark expression on his face. Hiccup wasn't fierce, everyone on Berk knew that, but the right now, holding a bloodied Nadder spine, Astrid almost stepped back. a shiver went down her spine. Hiccup's knuckles were white as he gripped the sword. He looked ready to attack.

"That doesn't mean anything," she said, surprise by the gentleness of his voice. She took the spine from him and sighed mentally when his expression softened. Hiccup nodded more to himself than to her and trudged on, quieter than before.

Hiccup cast his eyes down, following the small spots of red that dotted the trail, his mind clear. Nraseri's sword felt light in his hands, less awkward than before and he wondered if his lessons were paying off. He stopped when he noticed that the prints had disappeared and he looked around. Astrid picked her way around the trees and rocks, her hand following a long gouge in the wood as if the Nadder had spun around quickly.

Both their head shot up at the sound of movement from behind the large boulders and Hiccup edged around the side. A spine shot past his head and he raised the sword with speed he didn't know he had. The spine fell harmlessly to the ground and he raised the sword just in time to block the dagger aimed at his side. Without thinking, he flicked the sword and sent the dagger spinning through the air, where it planted itself blade-first in the ground.

He glared at his wild-eyed attacker, the point of the sword at his chest. Nraseri broke into a wide grin, relief evident on his face. "Oh thank Thor. I thought you were the Nadder!"

"Nraseri!" Hiccup dropped the sword and embraced his friend. He grabbed his arm, "You're injured."

"I hadn't noticed," he said sarcastically before waving tiredly at Astrid. She had picked up his dagger and handed it back to him.

"How'd you end up here?"

Nraseri chuckled nervously. "Got carried away chasing a Deadly Nadder and it led me back to its friends. Most running I've done in a long time." He brushed the hair out of his eyes and winced. Astrid inspected his arm, Hiccup peering over her shoulder worriedly. At least he was back to normal.

A long cut ran down Nraseri's forearm and blood trickled slowly from the wound. He'd cut strip of his tunic sleeve and wrapped it, but that wouldn't last long. They needed to get back to a healer to assess the real damage.

"We should get you to a healer. The village is about a half hour walk." The other two nodded and followed her through the brush. Hiccup steadied his friend, who looked a little pale and it took him a while to remember that he was still holding Nraseri's sword. He looked down at it and Nraseri laughed faintly.

"What?" he asked.

"A few days ago you were handling a sword with your right hand."

"So?"

Nraseri shook his head as if to rid himself of a thought. "You disarmed me with your left just now."

Hiccup looked down at his hand and realized that he was right. Handling the sword had been almost instinct and he barely felt any awkwardness his the weapon. In fact, it felt like an extension of his own arm. He smiled. Maybe things were finally looking up for him.

By the time they entered the village, the three of them were tired, their former adrenaline rush from the morning finally wearing off. Nraseri hadn't said much after his comment about the sword. He leaned somewhat heavily on Hiccup, his lips pressed tightly together and his face pale. Hiccup was rather worried. It occurred to him that maybe his friend was hiding more than just pain. Really, this was the first time he'd actually seen him this troubled. Every now and then Nraseri's hand would fly to his amulet around his neck as if afraid that it would disappear. Hiccup had never asked where he'd got it. It was probably a family treasure, which in itself, added to the plethora of mysteries involving his friend.

Astrid led them up the long and winding staircase to the healer's hut at the top of the Great Hall. Hiccup sighed in relief when they reached the last step and once again wondered why exactly the healer's hut would be so high up.

Gothi nodded to them and ushered them inside. He helped Nraseri into the nearest chair and stretched his aching muscles. His friend winced when the healer brought a torch over for some more light. Astrid left shortly after to tell Gobber that they had returned, leaving the three of them alone in the small room.

Gothi silently unwrapped Nraseri's sleeve and peered at the wound before turning to Hiccup for an explanation.

"Nadder spine, right?" He looked over to Nraseri who nodded wearily. Hiccup failed to notice that Nraseri didn't meet the healer's eye or the look the healer gave him. Instead, he watched as Gothi drew two sets of wavy lines in the sand with her staff.

"Water. Got it," Hiccup said and he made his way onto the terrace to collect rainwater from a large bucket.

Gothi peered into Nraseri's eyes for a second before pointing one gnarled finger at the amulet around his neck. She reached out and took it and he stiffened momentarily. He glared at her reproachfully as if daring her to do something, but she merely smiled and tapped his shoulder with the end of her staff. Hiccup came back a second later hauling a small bucket of water. He glanced down at the sand and huffed.

"Really, Gothi, as if I'd forget the bandages. I'm not Gobber—ouch!" He rubbed his head at the old healer's well-aimed blow, muttered something else under his breath, and swerved quickly out of the way of the staff. He heard Nraseri's soft snigger behind him and grabbed the bandages from a basket.

Gothi was already mixing a green paste in a bowl and he idly wondered what was in it. He turned to his friend. "How are you feeling?"

Nraseri prodded his arm and winced. "I've been better. What happened after the raid?"

Hiccup dreaded telling his friend of the Night Fury, fearing that he wouldn't believe him and ridicule him so he shrugged. "Not much, really. The raid was larger than the ones we usually get every few months but we got it under control. It's the first Night Fury sighting in a few years though. You probably heard it, there's no way you didn't." Nraseri nodded in confirmation and waited for him to say something else, as if he knew there was more. Hiccup sighed. "I also got chased by a Monstrous Nightmare and ended up knocking down one of the torches."

"How in the world did you knock down a torch?" Nraseri asked incredulously. He hissed momentarily when Gothi applied the salve to his arm. "Those things are taller than the houses!"

"Well it rolled into the harbour so I'm pretty sure I can add boat sinking in my list of disasters."

"What did your father say?" he asked.

Hiccup shrugged. "Nothing new. He was pretty angry that I left the forge though. Doesn't want me to break anything I'll bet."

Hiccup saw Nraseri tense slightly when Gothi pulled the bandage tight and he once again thought that his friend was hiding something else. The old healer shuffled over to the sand again and Hiccup peered closely at her pictures.

"She says to say off your arm for about a week. That means no forge work," he translated and Nraseri groaned. "Also, not to strain yourself. Basically, go rest, it'll get rid of the headache." The last part surprised him. Nraseri hadn't said anything about a headache. Hiccup then remembered how Nraseri had winced at the torch light.

Nraseri stood and thanked the healer and Hiccup could not shake the feeling that there was more meaning behind his words. He helped him down the long flight of stairs and led him to the forge. Gobber was relieved to see them and immediately sent a protesting Nraseri off to bed.

Stifling a yawn, Hiccup made his way to his house, ignoring some of the glares that he received from the villagers. He opened his door, letting in a slight breeze that disturbed the main fire. He jumped slightly when he saw his father poking the flames of the fire, his back to the door. Not wanting to talk to his father, he quietly padded towards the stairs. He was halfway up the when his father stopped him.

"Hiccup," he said almost gravely.

"Dad!" Hiccup exclaimed awkwardly. He cursed the gods and stopped his ascent to his room. He debated dashing up the last few steps but cast the thought aside. He'd have to tell him sooner or later. "Uhh, I have to talk to you, Dad."

His father stood and clasped his hands solemnly in front of him. "I need to speak with you too, son."

They both took a deep breath and said:

"I've decided that I don't want to fight dragons."

"I think it's time you learn to fight dragons."

Father and son both looked at each other, confused. "What?"

Stoick gestured for him to speak, "You go first."

Hiccup took a couple steps down the stairs. "No, no, you go first."

"Alright," Stoick began, and from the way he was rubbing his knuckles, Hiccup could have sworn that he was nervous about something, but chiefs didn't get nervous and certainly not his father. "You get your wish," Stoick said, "Dragon training." He stood a little taller as if the situation could be handled with height. "You start in the morning."

"Oh man. I should have gone first." To think that after all this time his father would choose _now_ to change his mind. How could he get out of this one? "Uh, cause I was thinking... you know… we have a surplus of dragon fighting Vikings but do we have enough…bread making Vikings?" At this point, Hiccup wanted to smack himself in the head. _Bread making?_ "Or small home repair Vikings." _Really?_ Things couldn't get any worse.

And then it did.

Stoick handed him a large axe and he lurched under its weight. "You'll need this."

"I don't want to fight dragons."

His father let out a bellowing laugh. "Come on, yes you do."

"Rephrase. Dad, I can't kill dragons."

"But you will kill dragons," his father said eagerly. Hiccup saw a pair of large green eyes in the back of his mind. How they pleaded with him and gave into fate.

"No, I'm really very extra sure that I won't," he tried to say without dropping the awkwardly long axe in his hands.

His father turned to him. "It's time, Hiccup."

"Can you not hear me?"

"This is serious, son," Stoick argued. He took the axe from Hiccup in one hand. "When you carry this axe, you carry all of us with you." He gave it back and Hiccup struggled to hold it straight. The blade thunked lightly on the floor and Stoick lifted it for him. "Which means you walk like us, you talk like us," He straightened Hiccup's shoulders slightly. "You think like us. No more of," he gestured to his son, "this."

Hiccup's heart fell slightly. "You just gestured to all of me."

"Deal?"

"This conversation is feeling very one sided," he tried again.

 _"_ _Deal?"_

Hiccup sighed and dropped the unbalanced axe, rolling his eyes. There was no point in arguing with him. "Deal."

Stoick grabbed a large basket and threw it over his back. "Good." He put his helmet on his head. "Train hard. I'll be back, probably." He said the last part as an afterthought. It was really up to the Norns whether he returned or not. With the raids and the other tribes unsettled, there was no telling how the 'Thing' would go down. (The 'Thing' was the annual gathering of the Viking leaders.)

"And I'll be here." Hiccup watched his father leave. "Maybe."

 **Haha please don't kill me!**

 **I apologize for the cliffhanger, really, I do.**

 **I had a dear friend of mine threaten me if I didn't update, so I thought I'd make you guys happy and post the chapter (as well as leave the university campus with all my limbs intact).**

 **The reason for such a wait was not because I hadn't written the chapter, but because I wrote most of this fic months ago, and my writing style has changed since then. I needed to go through and heavily edit the chapter and the ones after as well before I felt that they were ready to be posted.**

 **Anyway, I'm editing the next chapter as we speak, so hopefully it'll be up soon.**

 **As for my other fic, don't worry, guys, I'm working on it :)**

 **Review! Let me know what you think of the chapter and what you think is going to happen when dragon training rolls around.**

 **Until next time,**

 **Roan Walker out!**


	11. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER 10**

"Welcome to dragon training."

The teens eyed the kill ring with awe as they circled and chatted among each other. Gobber had woken them early for their first lesson and they were all buzzing with anticipation. Snotlout pushed his slipped helmet out of the way, rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck, for once not sparing Astrid a glance as he and the other teens did slow circles, trying to take in the arena around them. Each one sported a weapon they gripped tightly.

Astrid glanced around, her azure eyes taking in everything as she brushed her bangs out of the way. The others fanned out around her subconsciously following her lead as she came to a stop in the middle of the arena. They were here. finally, after watching their friends and family go head to head with the dragon that had taken so much for them, they could do their part and not just on the fire brigade. They were jittery with excitement.

Except for one.

Hiccup groaned inwardly and hefted his axe higher. He hadn't slept much the night before and he stifled a yawn and shook the last of sleep from his mind. He looked up at the stands and smiled slightly. Nraseri waved at him from his spot on the stands where he had insisted he'd stay while the training run its course. He'd absolutely refused to stay at the forge.

"It's boring by myself," he'd complained childishly. "Besides, I wouldn't miss your first dragon training lesson." He'd laughed to himself as if he found the situation funny, but Hiccup just rolled his eyes. Not everyone could be born with natural skill. Frankly, he was thankful for his friend's support.

"I hope I get some serious burns," Tuffnut broke the silence.

"I'm hoping for some mauling. Like, on the shoulder or lower back," Ruffnut cackled and fist bumped her twin.

"Yeah," Astrid agreed. "It's only fun if you get a scar out of it."

"Yeah, no kidding, right?" Hiccup muttered a little louder than he meant to. "Pain. Love it."

The teens turned to face him, disinterest and disgust on some of their faces.

"Oh, great," Tuffnut sneered. "Who let him in?"

"Alright," Gobber clapped his hand (and hook). "Let's get started. The recruit who does best will win the honour of killing his first dragon in front of the entire village

Snotlout raised his hand. "Hiccup already shot down a Night Fury so does that disqualify him or…?"

The other teen laughed.

Hiccup sighed and looked down at his feet. It was going to be a long morning.

"And did you see how smug he looked when he opened the Gronckle cage?" Hiccup ranted, swinging his blunt sword in an angry fashion. "He was happy to let us be mauled by that dragon. I swear he's enjoying this more than he should."

"Mhmm," Nraseri nodded, only half listening. They were in the Cove once again, this time practicing with swords. Well, Nraseri was instructing because his arm was still bandaged tightly. Hiccup had been worried about the dragons so soon after the raid, but Nraseri had assured him that they wouldn't be back any time soon. What Hiccup didn't know was that no dragon in its right mind would go anywhere near the den of a Night Fury, or that the same one he'd met the day before was sitting on the ground, teaching him to fight.

Hiccup had been complaining about training for some time now, and Nraseri had retaliated by saying that it would be easier just to let him get whatever it was off his chest if it would help him concentrate later on.

"And did you see how the other teens were talking about at me?" Hiccup carried on. "I have ears, you know. I can hear them. Even Astrid and Fishlegs wouldn't talk to me."

"Well, you did last the longest out of them, save for Astrid, but that's not surprise." Nraseri countered. "Raise the blade higher, you're dropping it and it'll affect your aim."

Hiccup raised the sword slightly. He was holding it in his left hand this time, and he marvelled at how much easier it was to hold. As he went through the motions that Nraseri showed him, the sword was lighter and less awkward than before. It was slightly unbalanced, but the sword was much better than the oversized axe his father had given him which had met its untimely demise in the arena a few hours before.

"'Dragons always go for the kill'. What kind of advice is that? It's common knowledge."

"You'd be surprised. Widen your stance."

Hiccup did. "I've come face to face with a dragon and it didn't try to kill me. That time." He thought about the Night Fury. Its actions still baffled him. How was he still alive? "Really," he grumbled, putting the thought aside for now, "it should be 'dragons go for the kill if _provoked_ '."

"Well," Nraseri said with a sly grin. "You'll just have to write that down in your journal, won't you?"

Hiccup lowered the sword to see his friend holding the red journal in the air. He jogged over, grinning of excitement. "You finished it?" Nraseri handed it to him and he thumbed through it, fingering his old sketches and a bunch of blank pages. "This is amazing. When did you finish this?"

Nraseri shrugged. "After you left, mostly. Not much else to do on house arrest. Gobber wouldn't let me near the forge and Gothi threatened to hit me if I strained my arm. She's feisty for her age."

"Tell me about it," Hiccup said.

He leafed through the book some more. In places where his notes had been damaged, neat writing was scrawled underneath, and a couple new notes were added here and there. It was when he got to his sketch of a Zippleback with a new wingspan note that it struck him that Nraseri's additions was similar to the information that Fishlegs had been sprouting in training.

"How did you do in dragon training?" Hiccup asked, finally looking up when he reached empty pages.

Something flickered across Nraseri's, but he hid it in a heartbeat. He shrugged. "Moderately, I guess. I picked things up here and there while traveling, but I didn't compete like you're doing."

"So you didn't have training?"

"Oh, I trained," Nraseri replied wryly, "just not in the way you are. I had a teacher, but he only taught me the basics, and it wasn't anything like this." He smiled, obviously remembering something good. "I learned how to understand the world of dragons and Vikings as intertwined, constantly changing and adapting. There's this whole other side to the dragons. Once you get to know them, they're friendly. Far from the monsters that people think they are." His smile faded. "No one gives them a chance. All they do is kill them."

Hiccup's heart sank. He set the journal down, guilt gnawing at him now more than ever.

"I have to tell you something."

"Mhmm?"

Hiccup hesitated. _Just get it over with,_ his mind screamed. "I shot down a Night Fury," he said. "During the raid."

Nraseri's green-gage eyes bore into him. His mouth was set in a grim line.

"It crashed in Raven's Point and I… I found it." Hiccup licked his lips, his mouth dry. He couldn't go back now. "I set it free and it got angry and flew off. I couldn't kill it, Toothless."

"Why?" The question was barely audible. "Why couldn't you kill it?"

Nraseri was staring at him with the same intensity that the dragon had the day before. Once again, Hiccup felt as if someone were looking into his soul. It was chilling.

"I don't know." Hiccup fiddled with the hem of his shirt, nervousness and confusion bubbling up in his chest. Why hadn't he killed the dragon? Why had he failed at the one thing that he'd been trying to do his entire life? These questions had plagued him since it had happened. He saw the dragon again in his mind's eye. That intelligence…. Just yesterday, he'd gone searching for some way to prove himself, and that thing had look at him with the same fear and loneliness that had followed him all his life.

"I didn't kill it," Hiccup said slowly, "because it looked as frightened as I was. I looked at it and I saw myself. Does…does that make sense?"

Nraseri closed his eyes and leaned back. He took a deep breath before opening them again. "You could have died, Hiccup. You could have really died yesterday, but I'm glad you didn't kill it. And I also understand what you're trying to say. Night Furies," he paused as if searching for the right words, "are precious beasts. Some say they are the story tellers of the dragons, that if you gain one's trust, they'll show you secrets that have long since been forgotten by these islands."

"You've seen one?" Hiccup asked.

"Once," he said. "A very long time ago. They're all gone now. Except for this one. It moves from place to place, but it's never settled in one place for this long."

"I guess it saw Berk as its home."

"Or it found what it was looking for," Nraseri said quietly. Louder, he asked, "What are you going to do now?"

Hiccup looked down at the red journal in his lap. He picked it up, leafing through the pages again. His next words would change everything.

"I don't want to fight dragons. I'll get through training, but I don't want to win. I don't think I can, anyway." He straightened his shoulders, filled with a newfound purpose. "I want to find out as much as I can about the dragons. I know there's something we're missing and I want to find out what it is."

Nraseri gave him a sharp-toothed grin. "Sounds like fun. Count me in."

 **And so dragon training begins!**

 **Wow, two chapters in one evening. It's a miracle! I know it's short, but it was done, so I thought I might as well post it.**

 **I'm not going to focus much on the actual training scenes simply just because there's a whole lot more going on in this story. There'll be some original scenes coming up, as with Toothless being a major human character. I'll loosely follow the movie, but be ready for some surprises along the way.**

 **Let me know what you think!**


	12. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER 11**

Hiccup was ready to tear his hair out. Training had been a wreck from start to finish. They'd gone up against the Gronckle again, and it had ended with Snotlout "accidently" almost braining him with his mace, the twins setting themselves on fire, and him somehow managing to trip Astrid. Out of all of them Fishlegs managed to get in a shot on the dragon's thick hide, and even then, he'd dropped his weapon and run away screaming when the Gronckle rounded on him.

The teens hated him, Astrid hated him even more. He was just glad that Nraseri hadn't been there to see him fail so spectacularly. His friend had been called to help with the last of the repairs caused by the raid. He was probably still out.

Hiccup sighed. As with all his frustrating dilemmas, this one led him straight back to the biggest frustration of his life: the Night Fury somewhere in Berk's forest.

Somehow it had drawn him back to Raven's Point. The rope and bola was still lying discarded on the ground, but it hadn't shed any light on the mystery. He'd tried following the trail left by the dragon, but that had led him to a dead end. It had dropped off into the Cove, which unsettled Hiccup, but after that, the trail had ended. It was as if the dragon had just disappeared.

Just how long had the dragon been in the forest? And why did it only show up now? It never stole food and, before the events of the raid a few days ago, no one had ever seen it. It didn't make sense!

Hiccup kicked a stone. It clattered off a large rock and disappeared out of sight. He frowned and looked around. So caught up in his thoughts, he'd gone further into the forest than he'd planned to, way past both Raven's Point and the Cove.

He picked his way to the large rock and stopped a foot away from where the earth abruptly ended.

A network of caves yawned beneath him, stretching, he remembered, for miles within the earth. He had forgotten that they existed.

As a child, he'd explored the first few caves, his imagination running wild as he dared to believe that the caves connected one side of Berk to the other, each cave holding some precious treasure or other. That had before his father had found out and forbidden him from entering the winding labyrinth.

A large mass of shadow broke off from beneath the overhanging rock. It stretched and flexed its ebony wings and lumbered onto the sun-warmed rocks less than ten feet below him.

Hiccup gasped in fear and ducked behind the rocks.

 _A Night Fury. Here?_

He swallowed, his throat suddenly very dry. It hadn't seen him. Would should he do? Should he try to leave before it spots him or stay where he was and wait for it to leave?

He opted for staying put.

After a few tense minutes, Hiccup's heart slowed and he peaked behind the rock once again. The dragon was still there. This was the second time he'd seen it and, now that he wasn't scared out of his mind, he couldn't believe his luck. The rarest of rare dragons was right below him and he hadn't been killed yet! Again!

 _This must be its home,_ he thought.

Opening his journal to a blank page, Hiccup slowly began to sketch the outline of the beast below. The dragon lay peacefully on the rocks, sprawled out in the rays of sun that filtered through the trees. Its dark wings barely hung off the rock and it occurred to Hiccup that the Night Fury wasn't the biggest dragon he'd seen. It was smaller than a Monstrous Nightmare, smaller than a Nadder, even, but had somehow instilled fear into just about every Viking in the Barbaric Archipelago. The Unholy Offspring of Lightning and Death itself was the bane of the night, a beast from the depths of Hel. And yet, here it was _sunning_ itself like a cat.

Hiccup let out a shaky chuckle and leaned closer. He didn't notice his charcoal roll away until it clattered over the edge and to the rocks below, coming to a stop a few meters from the dragon. Hiccup froze, his breath caught in his throat.

The Night Fury opened one green eye and inspected the fallen utensil with disinterest before its roving gaze came to a rest on him. It tilted its head to one side and stared up at the frightened Viking with something close to amusement in its eyes. The dragon didn't move from the rock. It was in the open, in broad daylight, and had been spotted by a Viking, and still it looked calm, almost intrigued, its ears perked up in an almost friendly demeanor. Its pupils were large, giving it a less threatening look

Hiccup couldn't look away. He wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, boy and dragon, timeless enemies, and yet Hiccup wasn't afraid.

Finally, the dragon shook itself and arched its back in a stretch. It yawned widely, revealing pearly white teeth, and stood. Without another glance in the direction of the Viking, it ambled back into the forest. Hiccup stared after it for a long time, his face a mask of wonder. He looked down at the sketch he'd made and, with shaking hands, wrote the word, _Beast?_ in the corner.

Nraseri was working the forge when he returned to the village later that afternoon. He didn't ask where Hiccup had been, too engrossed in the project he was working on. Hiccup sat at his work station in a daze, replaying his encounter with the Night Fury. He opened his journal to the picture and stared at it.

 _It had to have been the same one,_ he thought. Night Furies were too rare for there to have been another one. But the dragon he had met today was different from before. Hiccup recalled the feeling he had felt when he'd looked into its eyes. Familiarity. Amusement.

Hiccup picked up his charcoal.

 _Beast?_

He didn't notice Nraseri look over and grin, before humming happily under his breath.

They were discussing the last training session when Hiccup entered Great Hall, soaking wet and chilled to the bone. He grabbed a plate of food from the table. When he went to join them, Snotlout moved in the way, taking up all the spare seats and smirking as he did. Hiccup settled for sitting alone at another table.

"Where did Hiccup go wrong?" Gobber asked the others.

"Uh, he showed up," Ruffnut snarked.

"He didn't get eaten," her brother added.

"He's never where he should be." And that was Astrid. Hiccup resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He was used to them making fun of him, but he was too tired, cold, and hungry to care at the moment.

"Thank you, Astrid," Gobber said. "You need to live and breathe this stuff." He pulled out a large book and cleared the table with a swipe of his hand. Cutlery clattered to the ground. "The Dragon Manual. Everything we know about every dragon we know about."

Hiccup looked up from his food, interested.

Thunder rumbled outside. Gobber listened to it for a moment. "No attacks tonight. Hurry up."

"Wait? Read?" Tuffnut asked incredulously, dropping the knife he'd been balancing.

"While we're still alive?"

Hiccup ignored them as they argued about the book. His mentor just rolled his eyes and left.

He walked up to Astrid, trying to ignore how his heart beat a little faster. "So I guess we'll share?"

She shoved it towards him and got up. "Read it."

"Uh, all mine then. Wow. Okay, then. I'll see you—"

The door thudded closed.

"—Tomorrow." He sighed. "Well, I guess I should have expected that."

He waited until the Great Hall was empty before he started reading. He brought a small candle to where he was siting and opened the old book.

"Dragon classification," he began. "Strike class, Fear class, Mystery class." He flipped the page. "Thunderdrum. This reclusive dragon inhabits sea caves and dark tide pools. When startled, the Thunderdrum produces a concussive sound that can kill a man at close range. Extremely dangerous. Kill on sight.

"Timberjack. This creature has razor sharp wings that can slice through full grown trees. Extremely dangerous. Kill on sight.

"Scaudron. Sprays scalding water in its victim. Extremely dangerous. Kill on sight."

A loud clap of thunder startled him and he spun around, his heart in his throat. The door had blown open. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Hiccup pressed onwards.

"Changewing. Even newly hatched dragons can spray acid. Kill on sight."

The further he went, the more terrifying the dragons came until it was as if they were moving of the pages. The pages flurried as he flipped through them. "Gronckle. Zippleback. The Skrill. Whispering Death. Burns its victims, chokes its victims, turns its victims inside out. Extremely dangerous, extremely dangerous, kill on sight, kill on sight."

His fingers stopped on a blank page. Hiccup's mouth went dry. "Night Fury. Speed unknown. Size unknown. The unholy offspring of Lightning and Death itself. Never engage this dragon. If you do, your only chance is to hide and pray that it does not find you."

Hiccup pulled out his journal and tossed it onto the blank page. The sketch of the Night Fury seemed to laugh at him as he stared at it.

This creature. This unholy offspring of Lightning and Death had found him twice. He hadn't been able to hide and yet he was still here. He had seen the beast more times than any other Viking in the last century. And he was still alive. Why? There was nothing special about him. Why had he been able to find it? More importantly, was it seeking him out? No, that was impossible. Right?

"What are you reading?"

Hiccup shrieked and practically leaped from the bench.

Nraseri was standing behind him, looking as innocent as ever.

"Toothless, don't do that! You almost gave me a heart attack."

Nraseri flashed a grin and sat down next to him. He picked up the journal and inspected the sketch curiously before setting it off to the side. He pulled the manual closer to him. "What is this?"

Now that his heartrate was moderately normal, Hiccup coaxed the candle brighter. He was somewhat relieved that someone else was here to keep him company in the dark. Not that he was scared or anything.

"It's the Dragon Manual. Everything we know about every dragon we know about," he said, quoting Gobber.

Nraseri flipped through the book silently for a few seconds before his face scrunched into a look of disgust. "Extremely dangerous? Kill on sight? Are you kidding? They don't even attack people!"

Hiccup watched curiously as his friend began to criticize the bases of Viking knowledge.

"This is all wrong," he said as if it offended him greatly. "Most of these dragons don't just attack randomly. Well, except for Changewings. And the Skrill. Seriously," he grumbled and turned another page.

"What about the Night Fury?"

Nraseri stopped his rant. He flipped to the Night Fury page and read it silently. He looked up at Hiccup. His green eyes gleamed in the candlelight. "You're the one who saw the dragon. What do you think?"

Hiccup glanced from the sketch to Nraseri, to the black page of the manual. "I think," he said slowly, "that the Night Fury is different. It's dangerous, but there was something about it. It was smarter than the other dragons." He hesitated, thinking about the beast in the forest. "The first time I saw it, it was trapped. I looked at it and I didn't see anything unholy about it. There must be more to it than this."

"That's very insightful."

"It's the truth."

Nraseri snapped the book shut. "Well, then," he said with a sharp-toothed grin. "First thing after training, we're going dragon watching."

 **Oh look, a chapter. *Now edited and with less grammatical errors!***

 **I've been spending a lot of time on this fic lately, and I'm determined to finish it. Hopefully writer's block and university won't impede me too much.**

 **Things are picking up the pace.**

 **What will Hiccup do now that he knows where the dreaded Night Fury lives? And, speaking of said dragon, what will Hiccup's private dragon training look like now that good old Toothless has seen the Dragon Manual? It looks like Berk is in for some fun!**

 **Guest: Hmm...I'm not sure whether Nraseri and Camicazi will get together. I hadn't really thought about it. I don't think so, but man, would they be a power couple! However, since this isn't a slash fic, I am planning a little Hiccstrid...**

 **Let me know what you think about the latest chapter :)**


	13. Chapter 12

**Edit: I fixed some spellings errors. Whoops! Sorry, guys. Hopefully I caught all of them.**

 **CHAPTER 12**

Hiccup was out of the arena as soon as Gobber announced that training was over. His face burned with embarrassment and frustration. Just when he thought that it couldn't get worse, the Maze with the Deadly Nadder had proven him wrong. He'd gotten distracted. _Astrid_ had knocked him over. The Nadder could have killed them both. _Why_ had he hesitated?

Astrid's sneering face flashed through his mind again. Hiccup ran a hand through his hand as he widened the distance between himself and the arena.

Of _course_ he knew they were at war. Of _course_ they were going to take their parents place. He _knew that._ So why was it so hard to join in on the dragon training? He'd even been using the fighting techniques that Nraseri had taught him and still, he wasn't on the others' level.

Astrid had told him to figure out which side he was on, and he knew, or at least he thought he had until he'd shot down that dragon. How was he supposed to do what they did when they had no clue what he'd been through? They hadn't come so close to a Night Fury as he had. They hadn't watched it sun itself on the rocks like a cat or how it had tilted its head to look at him without a hint of bloodlust. They hadn't seen what he'd seen.

 _Figure out which side you're on._

Hiccup scowled. It didn't matter. He didn't need their type of training. He wasn't doing this to win, he was doing it to understand the dragons.

Nraseri was waiting for him at the forge. He took one look at Hiccup's face and patted him on the shoulder. "Bad day?"

"You have no idea," Hiccup replied.

"Well, it's going to get better. Trust me." Nraseri slung a bag over his shoulder, and they entered the forest together.

After a short walk, Nraseri dropped the bag on the ground. "Alright. I think it's high time I showed you a few tricks I picked up over the years. If you want to get ahead in dragon training, we'll have to find another angle to work with."

"You think this will help?"

"Only one way to find out," Nraseri said. "What is the best way to lure a dragon away?"

Hiccup frowned. "Noise?"

"Wrong."

"But that's what Gobber told us in the first lesson."

Nraseri waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, noise works, but it's not the best way to lure them away."

Hiccup huffed. "Alright, what would you use?"

"You probably know that all dragons eat fish. What you don't know is that they can't stand one type of fish. Never give a dragon eel. They hate it. So do I." Nraseri wrinkled his nose. "It's a good diversion, though. Any dragon will go the other way. Except for the Typhoomerang who, for some reason, love it."

He pulled out a small bundle and unwrapped it. Inside was a wad of grass.

"How is grass going to help?" Hiccup asked, eying the wad doubtfully.

"Not just any grass. Dragon nip." Nraseri sniffed it experimentally and handed him a few tufts.

"Dragon nip is also a good thing to have with you if you want to lure a dragon. I don't know why they like it, but they do. I had a trio of Zipplebacks follow me for miles when I first picked it."

There was a flurry of wings and Hiccup looked up to see a Terror staring at them from the branches of a tree. Nraseri held his hand out and, too Hiccup's astonishment, the little dragon glided down and sat on his arm. He gave it a bit of the grass and it slumped in his arms, purring loudly.

"They're pretty docile once they've had some. Here." He took Hiccup's hand and put it on the Terror's head. Hiccup laughed as it sneezed and rubbed against him.

Nraseri set the Terror on the ground and it slowly ambled away, walking in a zigzag pattern. "The effects wear off after a few minutes."

"That's incredible," Hiccup could hardly believe his eyes.

The Terror meandered closer and crawled into Nraseri's lap. It snuffled at the jade amulet around his neck and snorted. Reaching out with a sharp claw, it prodded the amulet, warbling curiously.

Nraseri stroked its head as if it were a small animal and not a fire-breathing lizard. "Yes," he said to it, "it is pretty, isn't it?"

The little dragon hummed and curled up in his lap and promptly fell asleep. Nraseri scratched it behind the ear, eliciting a loud purr.

Hiccup gazed at the amulet around his friend's neck. He'd never seen anything like it even when Trader Johan came with gifts from all over the Archipelago. The jade stone was so polished that it reflected the dappled sunlight that came through the trees like a small green mirror. Whatever design had been on it was worn down to faint ridges along the stone's surface.

"I've been meaning to ask," Hiccup said, "where did you get that amulet?"

Nraseri looked down at it. He paused in his scratching and held the amulet in one hand. "My mentor gave it to me. He took me in after my family died." He held the it up to the light. "The amulet is supposedly a guide and a magic relic created by the gods."

Hiccup's eyebrows shot up. "Magic. What do you think it does?"

Nraseri's lip twitched. "Well, you see, my mentor told me that it give the user tremendous power."

"Oh really?" Hiccup said wryly. "And what, pray tell, is this tremendous power?"

"Ah, I'm glad you asked. You see, it has the amazing capability to let me communicate with fearsome beasts."

"Like the one sleeping in your lap?" Hiccup asked dryly. "So fearsome."

Nraseri's hand flew to his chest. "I'll have you know," he said in a dramatic voice, sweeping his hand through the air, "I am the prince of dragons. All winged beasts bow before me as I walk. Look, even this one trembles at the sight of me."

The Terror snorted in its sleep.

Nraseri glared down at it. He huffed loudly. "No respect. Honestly!"

Hiccup burst out laughing. "I'm sorry." He wiped a tear from his eye. "Your majesty!"

The black haired teen stuck out his tongue. "Peasant." His lip twitched and then he too, was laughing.

The Terror, woke with a start. It gave the two of them a disgruntled look and took flight, chattering as it did so.

"Looks like your subject just quit, Prince Toothless." Hiccup chuckled.

The other teenager sighed and shook his head. "It's so hard to find good servants these days." His grin faded into a wistful smile. "But seriously, if the amulet has magic, it's a mystery to Vikings. I always get to where I'm supposed to be, so I guess it's my good luck charm. I don't feel safe without it, honestly."

Now that Hiccup looked at it, the amulet did seem to glow eerily in the sunlight. It wasn't really farfetched to imagine it infused with power. "Maybe it does something. Maybe it's just so out there that we can't understand it."

"Yeah," Nraseri said quietly, "maybe."

The night found Hiccup and the other dragon trainers around a large bonfire on one of the watchtowers overlooking the village. Gobber had insisted that meals spent together was a good chance for team bonding for the future defenders of Berk.

That afternoon, the blacksmith had given Nraseri a list of jobs to do so that he could fill in for him as their training picked up the pace. Hiccup took one look at the list and had, for once, been glad that he was in training. Nraseri had grumbled loudly and glared at the list before getting to work. He had been sharpening his fifth sword when Hiccup had gone to join the others, determined to get as many tasks done as he could.

Hiccup turned his fish slowly over the fire, not really listening as Gobber retold the tale of how he'd lost both his hand and foot in dragon raids, a story that Hiccup had heard multiple versions of. He was too busy thinking of the ways he could use Nraseri's training in the ring. They'd spent the next few hours watching a flock of Terrors, and a couple Gronckles on the other side of the Cove. Nraseri has pointed out the certain rocks he used to get his Gronckle Iron for his weapons, and had promised to show Hiccup how to make it one day. Right now, however, knowing how to identify rocks wouldn't help him in the ring tomorrow. Could he sneak in some dragon nip? No, Nraseri hadn't told him where to find it. But, maybe he could use the eel somehow….

"Ugh, I'm so angry right now!" Snotlout snapped, and Hiccup glanced up at him. "I'm gonna win this war no matter what! I'll avenge your beautiful hand and your foot. I'll chop off every dragon's head—" he jabbed a thumb at himself, "—with my face!"

Tuffnut snickered. "Yeah, there's nothing more dangerous than Snotlout's face."

"Or as ugly," Ruffnut added.

Fishlegs and Hiccup shared a look, both of them trying to hide a smile. Astrid rolled her eyes.

"You kids don't knew the half of it," Gobber said. "There is only one thing more notorious than the dragons. I doubt yer parents 'ave told you about the Grimsavages."

Hiccup frowned. The name sounded faintly familiar. His father had mentioned it years ago to his uncle when Hiccup was supposed to be asleep. He'd crept down the first few steps and listened to them speak in hushed voices, his father's face drawn with concern. Even now, the name sent a prickle of uneasiness that dulled the heat of the bonfire.

The other teens shook their heads.

Gobber scowled. "Well, they should 'ave." He tore the meat from his chicken wing and scarfed it down before wiping his mouth on the back of his hand.

"The Grimsavage tribe was one of the most savage tribes on the Barbaric Archipelago, hence the name." Tuffnut opened his mouth. "Yes, Tuffnut, even worse than the Outcasts. In fact, the first Outcast leader was a Grimsavage. Nasty bunch. Ye don't want to get in a fight with one of 'em, let alone the whole tribe. They're still out there, even after the tribe fell apart, and Viking law decreed that any member be caught and executed on the spot." He eyed the teens around the fire. The wind had died down from its continuous howl and the village below the watchtower was quiet. "No good can come from a Grimsavage."

Snotlout scoffed and grabbed another chicken leg, swinging it like a club before ripping a chunk off. "Why should few be afraid of _them?_ " he asked, spraying bits of half-chewed food a good meter in front of him, and Hiccup scooted out of areal range, and picked at his fish. "We Hooligans are the best Vikings around. Those grim-whatever's wouldn't stand a chance against me!"

He winked at Astrid, who rolled her eyes in disgust.

Gobber shook his head. "The Grimsavages are feared by anyone with half a brain, Snotlout, something we can all agree that ye lack. Even their distant cousins, the Berserkers, think twice before encountering 'em in battle. Or any time. They're sly. Cunning. They've been known to befriend other Vikings only to stab 'em in the back when they no longer needed 'em. Legend has it that even the dragons didn't dare cross 'em. The only thing the Grimsavages feared was their greatest enemy, the one dragon that wouldn't bow to 'em: the Unholy Offspring of Lightning and Death itself."

Fishlegs gasped so suddenly that he choked on his food and Hiccup had to pound him on the back before he could speak again. He flapped his hands in front of him, his face pale. "You don't mean the _Night Fury_?"

The sinister name seemed to call upon the wind, and the cold night air buffeted the group atop the watch tower. The fire reared up suddenly, scorching Hiccup's fish to a crisp and he dropped it before the flames bit his hands.

Six pairs of eyes turned to their mentor, anticipating the answer, stomachs twisting in what most people would call fear.

"Right ye are," Gobber said in a low voice. "The Night Fury, bane of the skies, and the only being able to make the most fearsome of tribes tremble in their wellies. No one had ever seen one and lived to tell the tale. We'd thought they had died out years ago but one was sighted here. Our Chief ordered search parties, but it has evaded our every move. If dragons were smart, I'd say that this devil is the most intelligent of 'em all.

"We thought that it had disappeared until the last raid, when it returned." He mused, referring to the terrible sound they had heard that night. He looked at them with narrow eyes. "Pray to Odin that you never have to encounter this beast. Any other dragon may spare ye, but with this devil, your only hope is to hide and pray that it does not find ye."

The atmosphere dampened dramatically after Gobber's pep talk and the teens withdrew into themselves, not wanting to break the silence. The old warrior rubbed his stump.

Hiccup shivered. He stared into the flames and thought about the murderous eyes that had borne into his as he lay trapped against the rock. The Night Fury that had terrorized them for years but had not killed him. Was it just not hungry? No, Gobber had told him that dragons killed for pleasure, but hadn't Nraseri told him otherwise. He was missing something. Something important.

"Gobber," he said, hesitating when the others looked at him, but he forced himself to continue. "Is… is there a chance that a dragon—any dragon—would not kill on sight?"

He felt his face redden in embarrassment as they gawked at him and Gobber let out a hearty chuckle. The others soon followed in suit, Snotlout the loudest of them all.

 _Stupid question. Got it,_ he thought, mentally kicking himself for asking in front of the other teens. Oh what he wouldn't do to have Nraseri here with him. He'd know what to say to get him out of this mess.

Gobber narrow his eyes. "Dragons— _all_ dragons go for the kill." He grabbed a slightly scorched chicken wing and snapped it at the joint. "When facing a dragon, it's the wings and tails you want. A downed dragon is a dead dragon."

Tuffnut snorted rashly and said something about it being his destiny to kill the dragon, but Hiccup wasn't listening anymore. His mind was back in the forest, replaying the scene over and over again. In his mind's eye he once again raised his dagger and stared into its green-gage eyes. Something had made him hesitate and it wasn't just fear. No, it was something else entirely. The dragon had looked at him and… and… it had been as _afraid_ as he had.

His breath caught in his throat and he forced himself to take a deep breath. Fishlegs and Astrid glanced at him for a moment but he didn't notice.

That dragon had felt afraid. It had followed him, and not like an animal might. It had looked at him as its equal.

Nraseri had mentioned that the dragons were intelligent, but, up until that moment, Hiccup hadn't understood. And the Terror. It had sat in Nraseri's lap like a docile cat, and showed expression when annoyed. They weren't just mindless beasts.

His fists curled in his lap, and he swallowed thickly.

Everything they knew about the dragons was wrong. So, so wrong!

 **I AM TRULY SORRY ABOUT THE WAIT! Things have been so busy in the past month with university and my own writing that I haven't had the time to go through and edit my chapters, but I promised a friend that I'd get this one up this weekend. I honestly don't know when the next chapter will be up, but it's in the works.**

 **Some of you have been asking for me to make the chapters longer, but I'm not sure if they will get longer. I plan chapter lengths more around what is happening rather than word count, so they vary according to chapter. As for Camicazi's reappearance, it's definitely going to happen.**

 **As always, I don't own HTTYD, that honour goes the the magnificent Cressida Cowell, but if I did, I would cry tears of pure joy.**

 **Let me know what you think of this latest chapter!**


	14. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER 13**

The fire in the forge was always lit when someone was present. Its warmth spread through the building, a barrier against the harsh cold wind that blew off the ocean year round. Now, however, it was low, half-forgotten by the sole occupant in the forge.

Shoulders hunched, he stared into the fire, his fingers curled around a small leather arm guard, his knuckles white. The glint of the fire reflected in his green-gage eyes. A weary expression shadowed his face.

Toothless tried not to think too much about the past.

It was far easier to push aside all thoughts of his past life and to focus on the present or to pretend that he didn't have some destiny to reunite the humans and dragons hanging over his head.

Sometimes, when he was with Camicazi and the Bog-Burglars, he would close his eyes and imagine that he lived a normal life, growing up in a Viking village and not in the secluded woods or traveling from place to place to avoid suspicion.

There was a time when he contemplated just how easy it would be to settle down somewhere and ignore the Fates' calling. He was ashamed to admit that he'd done it before. More than a few times, he'd stayed in a place for far too long, pretending that he was one of those nameless faces in nameless tribes, or hidden among the dragons in his Night Fury form, ignoring the enormous weight of the task ahead of him. He could only stay hidden for so long before his guilt set in. Dragons weren't meant to stay on the ground.

To choose the life of a Viking was to give up his dragon roots. To choose the life of a dragon was to disregard everything the Sage had taught him and the amulet that gave him his power.

His own family was gone, taken from him. He had the Sage and the amulet around his neck to thank for his second chance, and he would stop at nothing to fulfill the task he'd been given. He could never sacrifice one life for the other.

But that idea never left him.

The embers popped, rousing him from his thoughts. With it came unbidden memories of another fire.

Toothless glanced down at the thing in his hands. He fingered the rough leather, running his thumb over the metal plating that ran across the front of it. The narrowed eyes and oval head etched into the metal gleamed, polished to a dull sheen from the number of times he'd repeated the motion over the years.

In the firelight, the Grimsavage Tribe crest leered up at him.

He glared at it and, like many times in the past, was tempted to throw it into the fire. But whenever he tried, his fingers wouldn't let go.

He heaved a sigh, his thumb still moving across the emblem.

 _Why do I still have this?_

One year after they had slaughtered his family, the Grimsavage tribe had been struck down by a terrible disease. They had no close allies that could help them or wouldn't strike them down on sight. They were left helpless on their island. It decimated every one of them in weeks. Unable to spread across the hundreds of leagues of ocean, the disease had dispersed as quickly as it had come, taking with it the flesh of its victims.

Years later, the Sage had taken Toothless back to the island so that he could finally honour his clan's death. He couldn't even bring himself to enter his family's clearing. Whether it was his shame, or guilt, or anguish, or a mixture of all of it, he still didn't know. Instead, he'd sat in the treeline and cried. No amount of willpower could have let him hold his human form in that forest, surrounded by the ghosts of his family.

The Sage had been kind to him. He always had been. From the moment he'd saved Toothless to the day he'd entered Valhalla, he'd been someone for Toothless to look up to. In a way, he was more of a father than a mentor. His death had left him devastated, even though the man himself had come to terms with death many years before.

The old man hadn't said a word while Toothless grieved the loss of his clan. He'd let him mourn for as long as he needed, waiting patiently until he picked himself up off the ground and shifted back into his human form.

After that, the Sage had led him into the village.

"They have been struck down as punishment for their deed," the Sage had said quietly as they walked through the ruins of the tribe that still haunted the young dragon's nights. "Their legend lives on, but their bodies will remain here until Ragnarok."

The arm guard had been among the bones of the chief whose hulking figure was slumped over in its chair, grasped in his skeletal hand. It was too small for the man holding it, more of suited for fitting snugly around a far smaller arm.

Toothless couldn't leave it. He hated it, but he knew he could never leave that island without taking it with him.

The Sage had barely cast an eye over it, saying that it was his responsibility to keep it hidden. For years it had been tucked away in the bottom of his satchel.

It was dangerous to carry, but Toothless couldn't bring himself to part with the thing. It was the only piece left of his past. It was his reminder of what had happened and what he'd lost, just as the amulet around his neck was a reminder of what he still needed to do.

Maybe when this was all done, he would be able to get rid of it. Maybe after that, he could find somewhere to settle. Maybe he could stay on Berk a little longer if only to stay in the forest.

Maybe he'd finally be able to tell Hiccup, and then he wouldn't have to hide.

Footsteps neared the forge. Toothless' head whipped up, alarmed. He caught a whiff of pine and the metallic scent of iron, and…eel? Hastily, he shoved the arm guard into the bottom of his bag just as Hiccup entered.

"How was training?" Toothless asked. He made a point of pulling out his toolkit and setting it on the table, opening it under the guise of searching for a tool.

Hiccup shrugged. "I, uh… took an eel into the ring."

A pause. "You took an eel into the ring?"

"I snuck back in after and got rid of it."

"Why on earth would you take an eel into the ring?" Toothless asked incredulously.

The Viking rubbed the back of his neck. "You mentioned that the dragons don't like them so I figured that it would be a good backup plan if something went wrong with the Zippleback and I needed to get it back into the cage without it attacking. It worked, so…."

Toothless couldn't help it. The mental image of Hiccup, short and scrawny, corralling a two-headed beast back into its cage was too much for him. He threw back his head and laughed.

"It's not that funny," Hiccup huffed.

"No, it really is. Hiccup, how did no one notice you take an _eel_ into the ring?"

"I…hid it under my jacket?"

That set him off again and Toothless clutched his sides as he shook with laughter. Now that he had mentioned it, his heightened senses picked up more traces of the slimy creatures' stench clinging to Hiccup's clothes. _It_ _smelled so bad!_

Hiccup let out a long-suffering sigh and pulled off the offending jacket and tossed it into the back room. He grabbed his apron and shoved it over his head, tying it and wiping his hands on the front.

"Well, it worked out alright in the end otherwise the dragon could have lit the entire ring on fire." He cast Toothless an unimpressed look but the corners of his mouth were twitching upward. "If you're done laughing, relight the forge. I've got this new idea I want to try out, and you know what Gobber's like if we're in here and the forge isn't lit."

Toothless grinned. "Another new idea?" he asked, all thoughts of the Grimsavage Tribe vanishing as he used the billows to relight the forge fire. "What's next? Using dragon nip on the Gronckle?"

He missed the thoughtful expression of Hiccup's face.

The Night Fury was watching him. He swore he saw it out of the corner of his eye, a silent shadow as he picked his way back to the village. And it wasn't the first time.

The dragon was a master at hiding. Even as the sun shone through the trees, it still managed to stay hidden.

He felt the prickle of a set of eyes on his back and fought the urge to glance behind him, knowing that if he did, he probably wouldn't see anything anyway. If Hiccup was lucky, maybe he would catch a stirring of leaves, a swinging branch, a flicker of black.

After the third day, Hiccup chose to ignore his second shadow, taking delight in the peacefulness of the forest instead.

He understood why Nraseri liked walking in the early mornings.

For Hiccup, it was a chance to get away from his village and the sudden attention he was getting from the villagers. Two weeks had passed since training had started and in that short span of time, people had started to notice his progress.

Lately, he found that he had little time to himself between training and working in the forge. Just this morning, Mulch had asked his opinion on the latest fish catch. Was it larger than usual even with the dragons raiding? Hel if he knew. And yesterday, three people had willingly approached him to praise his "prowess in the ring" and clapped him heartily on the back so hard he'd almost fallen over.

He never thought he'd miss the solitude that failure brought him. He didn't like being the center of attention. Still, he was learning more than he ever would on his own. By combining what Nraseri had been teaching him before and the training he was doing now, competing with the other teens was much easier than he'd expected. Add what he was learning about the dragons, and Hiccup actually had a chance to win. Not that he was planning on it. He wasn't in this to win.

The last thought made him slow his pace. What would his father think of him if he knew what Nraseri was teaching him? Chances were that he'd be furious. He wouldn't approve. None of them would.

Hiccup scowled and shook his head. It didn't matter if he didn't approve. What mattered was that there was more to the dragons than what they know. Something was missing and Hiccup was determined to figure out what that something was. And he was sure it had to do with the Night Fury tailing him through the forests of Berk.

He sat down on a rock, enjoying the brief warmth of the sun that filtered through the trees. His companion rustled the leaves of the brush on his left. Hiccup watched it out of the corner of his eye. He could make out its large oval head and the large flap that he suspected was its left ear.

Not taking his eye off it, Hiccup reached into his jacket to pull out his notebook and piece of charcoal.

His dagger fell out of his jacket.

Hiccup froze.

He stared at it, his heart pounding. He thought he'd secured it into his belt. It shouldn't have fallen out. He should have left it in the forge. The dragons, like all creatures, were threatened at the sight of a naked weapon.

There was no sound. Not a whisper of breath or a stir of leaves. No low growling from the dangerous beast that could so easily kill him, nothing.

With achingly slow movement, he hazarded a glance upward.

The Night Fury hadn't moved. It watched him from the shadows, eyes narrowed into green slits.

Hands trembling slightly, Hiccup reached down, grasped the dagger and, careful not to make any sudden movements, picked it up. As he did, it caught the sunlight and a dot of light reflected on the ground.

A curious warble emanated from the shadows.

Hiccup looked up.

The Night Fury had started forward a few inches, the top of its head just breaking the top of the brush. He could again see the green eyes of the dragon. Its pupils were large, gaze pinned on the reflected dot of light. Hiccup lifted the dagger slightly, the dot moved. The Night Fury's eyes followed it. Hiccup moved it to the right. The angular shadow moved with it.

Huh.

He tried moving it away from the bushes, but those eyes settled on him again in a silent warning. So much for coaxing him out.

Still, the fact that that light trick worked….

Hiccup looked down at the dagger. They were facing the Terror soon, after the Nadder again. So far, he'd used the eel and a wad of dragon nip against the Gronckle. Neither of those would be easy to sneak in since the eel stank and he didn't have any nip. But this could be useful.

The Nadder was fierce and fast, that much had been proven by their fail attempt to combat it in the first week. He wouldn't have time to prepare this. But against a Terror?

The Night Fury was gone when he looked up, but he knew it was still there. Hiccup smiled. "Thanks, Bud."

He was sure he heard an indignant huff a little to his left.

* * *

 **Ha ha what did I say about hoping that writer's block wouldn't impede me?**

 **I am so sorry, guys, for making you wait this long for an update.** **I wasn't aware how long it had been since updating and any excuse I give will sound silly.** **Truthfully, my muse for this story puttered out some time ago. I had so many other things to work on and I was having trouble working on them as well. However, this** **story is close to my heart and I will never abandon it. Updates are coming, but it's just going to be a while before this is finished.**

 **I was going to upload this earlier, but it was originally a longer chapter. However, after much debate, I decided that, though this is a bit of a filler, it is important on its own. Now I just have to finish the next chapter. (ugh, come on, brain! Don't fail me now!)**

 **I promise the plot picks up. It's picking up as of this chapter, now that a chunk of the buildup is completed. Unexpected things will happen. Not all is well for our friends on Berk and the dragons of the Archipelago.**

 **Let me know what you think of this chapter :)**


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